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The
Parables of Matthew
Never Give Up
Matthew 13:31-32
Introduction:
The Secret to Survival
In June 1992, Colby Coombs was a 25-year-old National Outdoor Leadership
School instructor on vacation in the Alaska Range with his
friends Ritt Kellogg and Tom Walter. The trio headed off for
17,400-foot Mount Foraker and over three days attempted to
put up a new direct finish on its Pink Panther route. But
as they neared their goal, a storm moved in, and the mountain
let loose.
The avalanche knocked Coombs and his companions 800 feet down the
side of the face. When Coombs awoke six hours later, he was
dangling from his rope, suffering from two fractured vertebrae
in his neck, a broken shoulder blade, and a fractured ankle.
He swung over to Walter, who was hanging on a rope nearby,
but his friend's face was fully masked in ice, and he was
dead. A day later, Coombs found his old college roommate,
Kellogg, who had also been killed.
Over the next four days, Coombs shut out all thoughts of his dead
friends and laboriously picked his way down the mountain.
"I just had to keep my eyes open and ignore the pain,"
remembers Coombs, who now runs the Alaska Mountaineering School
in his hometown of Talkeetna. After reaching base camp, he
still had to complete a dangerous five-mile crossing of Kahiltna
Glacier, with no way to rescue himself if he fell into a crevasse.
Against all odds, he made it. Today, the 37-year-old Coombs
constantly emphasizes safety in his AMS courses. "I don't
tell my story much, only when it comes up during teachable
moments," he says. "But if you do get in trouble,
anything that gets in the way of success has to be eliminated—emotion,
fear, pain. It's the mental things that will impede your survival."
Joe
Couture is another man who is trained for survival. In fact,
he completed a 3 week solo survival course, after which he
said, “Survival is more a state of mind than it is equipment.
No matter what environment you find yourself in, you must
assume there is someone outside searching for you so all the
equipment will do is extend your survival long enough for
them to find you.”
Survival
stories are almost always marked by one striking characteristic—the
survivor refused to give up.
Do you ever feel like giving up? I think we get to that point at various junctures in
life where the temptation to just give up is very strong.
We may be ready to give up on people, a relationship, a project,
or our hopes and dreams. There may even be times when we are
ready to give up on ourselves. In the Biblical account where
Job struggles with losing everything, we even find his wife
advising him to give up on everything—including God—and die.
Sporting goods stores sell survival kits that contain
the essential tools for wilderness survival. One such kit
contains a short booklet with 10 tips to survive. The title
of the booklet is Before You Give Up.
The message of hope that God sends to us in the ultimate survival
guide that we call the Bible is to never give up. That may
be the message you need to hear from Him today, “My dear child,
never give up.”
My
purpose today is actually quite simple. It is to urge you
to claim God’s answer. Before you give up, try Jesus! The parable
of the mustard seed takes two verses to tell, but it is fully
packed with meaning because it is the Lord’s hope-filled survival
kit.
Some Historical Perspective
During
Jesus’ earthly ministry His followers were tempted to give
up at various times. Was it worth it to follow Jesus? In the
end, would it make any difference? Many people must have thought
the question John the Baptist actually had enough courage
to ask from prison…
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing,
he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who
was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
Matthew 11:2-3 NIV
People
wondered if this carpenter from Nazareth was the real deal.
Was there actually anything He could do to change the political
stranglehold Rome had on them? If so, why was it taking so
long?
We
identify with these questions—at least I do. Evil seems so
strong and change takes so much patience. Life seems to be
a series of three steps forward and two steps back but at
times it becomes a more discouraging two steps forward and
three steps back. That’s when I’m tempted to give up. I find
comfort that someone like John the Baptist dared to ask his
question. Jesus handled his question; He can certainly handle
mine.
The
disciples often appeared to try to speed up the divine schedule.
“Is this the time?” “Are you going to restore
the Kingdom to Israel NOW?” We need to see that
impatience breeds discouragement that ends with us accusing
ourselves for not being trustworthy or having enough faith.
Many times the accusation
has worked its way through my soul: If only I had more faith!
It’s like everything depends on the size of my faith.
How arrogant is that? As subjective pity spirals out of control
my energy is drained and my bad mood spreads to people around
me like a highly contagious spiritual swine flu.
The
answer Jesus gave to His disciples in this story about a small
mustard seed penetrates our hearts and pierces our doubts.
It is a simple story
filled with truth and hope as He provides the antidote for
our powerless impatience. He urges us to consider the
story of the mustard seed before we decide to give up. Listen
to the story.
He
told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is
like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows,
it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so
that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32 NIV
Three Hopeful Messages
Jesus
story has three hopeful messages for us to consider before
we give up on anything or anyone.
Discover The Might Of The Miniscule
The mustard plant is an herb planted in the gardens of Palestine. One
particular mustard plant grew rapidly from a small, barely
visible seed into a bush and finally grew into a shrub the
size of a small tree. From this small seed came a plant with
branches strong enough for birds to build nests.
The central character in this parable is a man who plants the mustard seed.
We have met this man before in looking at the parables that
become an autobiography of God. Understood in the context
of the field being the world and the Son of Man is the one
who sows the seed we begin to discover meaning that makes
this into a positive teaching story (as opposed to being a
warning about symbolic birds of evil invading the church as
taught by some).
The
Lord sows the mustard seed and it grows and grows and grows
until it is huge. The seed is His gift of faith planted in
us. It grows in us so we can be planted in the world as examples
of the power of God to heal frustration and discouragement.
Jesus’ life is a picture of the parable. God planted a seed in Bethlehem.
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and
people until one day He came preaching the arrival of the
Kingdom of God. His message set people free. The cross and
resurrection marked the culmination of His earthly ministry
but the growth of the kingdom continued unimpeded. Pentecost
marked the birth of the church and unleashed even greater
power, leaving the mustard tree movement standing firm. It
was a small beginning with the triumphant conclusion still
to come.
Jesus told this story to encourage His
disciples. When
they faced what seemed to be insurmountable odds He asked
them to consider the lesson of the mustard seed. He wanted
His disciples to dare to believe that they were doing God’s
work of transforming the world. God would work His purposes
out through them. What God had done through His Son would
also happen in and through them.
God
still does the same thing through people of faith today. His
desire to reach the world and His plan to use us to do that
has never changed. Can the lack of accomplishment sometimes bring discouragement?
It certainly does. That’s when we are ready to hear the second
message.
It’s Not The Size Of Our Faith But The
Immensity Of God’s Power That Makes The Difference
When
you are ready to give up there is still hope even if you have
faith that is so small that it is almost invisible. Jesus
says it not the size of your faith that matters; it’s the
immensity of God’s resources to provide power and prompt change.
This
runs counter to the popular message
often heard from preachers who invite you to be healed of
your physical problems. God will heal you—if you only have
enough faith. Do you have relationship problems? If you have
enough faith, God will make those relationships better. Are
your responsibilities about to overwhelm you? God will take
care of it—if you will only trust Him enough.
Think
about any challenges dragging behind you, weighing you down,
as you came to church this morning. Are there things
that have you down?
Listen! The issue is not the size of your faith any
more than the light switch on the wall is electricity. God
invites you to flip the switch to activate His power.
Prayer is where we plant mustard seeds. The Lord waits for us to pray, “I’m faced with problems that are way too big for me. I
believe, God, that you are able. I trust you. I want only
what have planned for me. The worst thing that could happen
would be for me to miss anything that you have arranged for
my good.”
If
it’s true for tackling our problems, it’s also applies to
our growth in Christ. Faith begins with a small mustard seed
where we dare to believe He can forgive our sin and make us
clean. The most faltering confession of faith launches a process
that recreates and regenerates us. When we look back at where
we started with Christ we are amazed at what He has done to
transform us.
The apostle Paul was aware of what God accomplished in his life. He was
not the man he was and he wasn’t yet the man God was making
him. But, God was transforming Him and used him to encourage
others to start with the smallest of beginnings and allow
God to do His work. To the believers at Philippi he wrote,
And
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you,
will continue his work until it is finally finished on the
day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT
Paul
urged the Ephesians to trust the future to God. Paul wanted
them to know there was so much more waiting for them.
I
pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you
can understand the confident hope he has given to those he
called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
I
also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness
of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty
power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the
place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader
or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world
to come.
Ephesians 1:18-21 NLT
Don’t
miss this! God is on the move in you. He wants to
make you His mustard seed miracle for the world to see what
He can do. Best of all—He’s not finished yet. He’s barely
started. Paul went on to remind the Ephesians what kind of
people they had been—dead in sin as they followed the ways
of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Ephesians
2:1-3). Then He confirmed the magnificent transforming work
that occurred by the grace of God …
in
order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. Ephesians 2:7 NIV
When
we reflect on what God has done with the small mustard seed
of faith when we first trusted Him it encourages us to surrender
our current, troublesome issues to Him. Before you decide
to give up, remember how He’s growing a mustard tree.
We Become Communicators Of Hope To Others
Who Are Ready To Give Up
In
God’s kingdom what He does in us is never just for us.
He works in us so He can work through us to help others. The
first step to the solution of any problem is to plant the
mustard seed of unreserved faith. How do people
learn to do this? They
learn to do this by seeing the difference God makes when someone
dares to plant that seed of faith. The good news is we are
not expected to be perfect. We are expected to be contagious
carriers of God’s hope.
There are discouraged people all around us. You don’t have to search very hard. People desperately
need a mustard tree in which to find refuge. We need to take
this third message to heart. Once God has grown a tree out
of our seed of faith worried birds will flock to check out
what we have discovered and take shelter.
Conclusion: Hope On This Independence Weekend
The
parable of the mustard seed has profoundly enlarged our understanding
of this aspect of God’s autobiography. He tells us He is power,
and that power is available to us. He says, “Never give up!
Before you do, plant the mustard seed of faith and be prepared
to be amazed by what God will do.”
The message of power and hope is especially meaningful
on this weekend where we celebrate the birth of our nation.
Those who are recognized as the founders of our nation struggled
through some very difficult and dark days as they forged the
documents and fought the battles that led to our independence.
Whether it was General Washington rallying the starving and
freezing troops at Valley Forge or the ongoing debates in
Freedom Hall about whether to negotiate with the King or move
to separate, an abiding sense that God called them to do and
become something special sustained them.
This abiding faith is demonstrated most clearly in
the stirring speech delivered by Patrick Henry on March 23,
1775. In his speech he refers to “the Majesty of Heaven, which
I revere above all earthly kings.” He cautions that “an appeal
to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left to us.”
He says they need to “make a proper use of those means which
the God of nature hath placed in our power.” Finally, he concludes,
It
is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry,
Peace, Peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!
The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our
ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already
in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen
wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet,
as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid
it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take;
but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
As
we celebrate our independence as a nation we celebrate an
even greater independence today. We come to the communion
table to celebrate the spiritual freedom Jesus provides. Humanity
was enslaved by the chains of slavery wrapped around us by
a tyrant who wished to be king. Jesus marched into the fray
and announced, “I will provide liberty for people even if it means my death!”
All that remains is for us to bring our small mustard seed
of faith to Him so He can release His power.
Are you frustrated? Are you discouraged?
Are you shackled by doubt?
Don’t give up. Come to The Lord’s Table!
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