Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Power of the Kingdom is Great, Part 2

Scripture: Matthew 13:33

He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened." 

Insights:  Let me pick up where I left off yesterday.  We were discussing leaven as an analogy.  You don't take analogies and make them an absolute theological term.  Leaven is only an illustration and you ought not to assign it an absolute theological meaning so that every time you have leaven, you get sin.  If you do assign leaven as an absolute for evil and sin, then you get into real trouble in the O.T. with the feast of Pentecost when the Jews were commanded by God to offer leavened bread to Him.  Read 1 Corinthians 5:6, "Don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"  This statement is just a proverb.  To understand the proverb all depends on how you apply the analogy of the leaven.  Again, remember that the point of leaven is that it has a permeating influence on other things.  Now read 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump."  In this illustration what Paul is telling us is you’re a Christian now, you're a new lump of dough.  Don't put into that new lump old leaven.  Again, remember, that the old leaven comes from an old loaf.  So here is what Paul is telling us, “You're a new creature in Christ. Don't let any of that old stuff from your former life influence your new life.”  We could keep reading verse 7 and jump back into the O.T. to Exodus chapter 12 and see further significance of this old and new leaven, but I think you are getting the point.  We are new creatures and we ought not let our old life influence our new life in Christ Jesus.  So, in this analogy of 1 Corinthians 5 the leaven is not so much the definition of sin, but of the permeating influences that come from your past life without Jesus.  Jesus knew that they understood the analogy of leaven as it related to evil and that they perceived the massive moving spread of evil.  So, Jesus gives this parable of leaven to show in contrasting fashion the speed and unstoppable nature of His kingdom as it begins to penetrate the world.  Beloved, be that leaven in the world for Jesus as you share the gospel with those desperate for its life changing message of hope. 

Questions:
  1. Are you allowing sins from your past to influence your Christian walk today?
  2. Will you this day put those sins to death and walk in the newness of life you have in Christ Jesus?
Prayer: Father, I am crucified with Christ, strengthen my heart and fill me full of Your Spirit as I walk this faith out before a watching world.  Amen.

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