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JESUS' CONCEPT OF MUSTARD SEED FAITH.
Ref:  Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 4:31-31, Matthew 13:31-32
Luke 13:19

Matthew’s gospel holds a story of a situation where Jesus' disciples could not deliver a young boy from a demon spirit. Jesus called them faithless and perverse. He only gave one reason the boy had not been
delivered. It was not because of his parent’s sins, or the boy’s sins, but because of their unbelief.

When jumping off into space, a skydiver is not sure what branch he will land on. Once there was a squirrel, he got to risk it if they don’t want to spend their lives in one tree." --James S. Hewett

The problem with too many of us today is that we are afraid to try our faith. We try to play it safe and secure with someone else’s faith.

In our text today, here our faith is revealed like the mustard tree. Notice these powerful transformations:

I. The Mustard Seed Faith Begins as a Grain (20a)

A. Grain faith is small

-Every man is given a measure of faith.
-Mustard seeds are the smallest, even though mustard
trees are actually extinct now, according to the Jewish
encyclopedia.

B. Grain faith must be planted

-According to a diagram printed in an 1896 edition of a Jewish encyclopedia, mustard seeds were planted in
holes six inches deep and filled with water.
-72 hours later the water was gone; silt covered the seed and tiny green sprouts begin to appear.
handle a situation.

II. The Mustard Seed Faith Turns Into a Plant

Mark 4:31-31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

A. Plant seed is greater than herbs

-Our faith should never be smaller than the day we are
born again.
-Do not discourage young Christians from using their
faith to move mountains.

B. Plant seed must be well rooted

-The root of the mustard plant grows three times faster than the stalk.
-Our faith must become rooted in God without seeing,
according to Christ’s example, at least three times as
much as what we can see

▀ Sweeping across Germany at the end of World War II, Allied forces searched farms and houses looking for snipers. At one abandoned house, almost a heap of rubble, searchers with flashlights found their way to the basement. There, on the crumbling wall, a victim of the Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. And beneath it, in rough lettering, the message:
I believe in the sun--even when it does not shine;
I believe in love--even when it is not shown;
I believe in God--even when he does not speak
Robert Schuller
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 186.

C. Plant seed must be growing

-Faith is designed by God to grow, but God hates little faith.
-Faith can only grow by continual use and expansion of
vision, which believes God for greater and greater
things.

III. The Mustard Seed Faith Turns Into a Tree

Matthew 13:31-32 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in
the branches thereof.

A. Tree faith must grow

-Mustard trees grow to a maximum height of 21 feet tall, which means the root is 63 feet in the ground, straight down.
-It becomes a tree with a destiny.

B. Tree faith must have branches

-While the tree is only 21 feet full grown, it is branches are 72 feet full grown.
-Our faith needs to spread out for others over three times as much as for ourselves according to this
example.

▀ One could not but be moved by the story of the soldier who asked his officer if he might go out into the "No Man’s Land" between the trenches in
World War I to bring in one of his comrades who lay grievously wounded. "You can go," said the officer, "but it’s not worth it. Your friend is probably killed, and you will throw your own life away." But the man went. Somehow he managed to get to his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder, and bring him
back to the trenches. The two of them tumbled in together and lay in the trench bottom. The officer looked very tenderly on the would-be rescuer, and then he said, "I told you it wouldn’t be worth it. Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded." "It was worth it, though, sir," he said. "How do you mean, ’worth it’? I tell you your friend is dead." "Yes, sir," the boy answered," but it was worth it, because when I got to him he was still alive, and he said to me, ’Jim, I knew you’d come.’"
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 226.

IV. The Mustard Seed Faith Turns Into a Great Tree

Luke 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

A. Great tree faith is not seasonal

-The mustard tree is an evergreen; it does not shed its leaves, nor do they fade.
-Our faith is not something that is used once in a while; like vision, we use it everyday, and we walk by faith and not by sight.

B. Great tree faith is attractive

-Sheep love the fragrance that the tree and will come and shade under it.
-Its leaves close at night and open during the day, and the water that drips from the leaves of the tree will kill ticks, fleas, parasites, and body lice on the sheep without damaging the wool.
-Goats hate the fragrance, which irritates the membranes in their nose and some have committed suicide by butting the tree till they died.

C. Great tree faith has a powerful influence

-Under its 75 foot limbs, nothing will grow; no insects, weeds, even birds will lodge in the branches but will not nest because the influence of the tree will kill the eggs.

-Our faith should not be influence by the world, but it should be the influence in this world to destroy the
influence of this world.

D. Great tree faith is resilient

-The mustard tree has been reported to survive a three
and one-half year drought.
-Our faith should not depend on seeing God move all the time, but it should depend upon our trust in Him.

Conclusion

Matthew’s introduction of the seed of the fig tree gives us an insight into the comparison Christ made with His desire for our faith. He rebuked little faith and applauded and rewarded great faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus appreciate 2 just ordinary persons with great faith:

Matthew 8:10
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Each of us has faith, but are we using it. How long have you been saved and has your faith continued to grow into the far-reaching impact Christ wanted it too?
These ¡§transformations¡¨ in our faith will never come if we do not use our faith and live out our faith.

The challenge facing us today is the use of our faith. God did not point out little things to believer for. He used things like mountains being removed and trees being removed and planted in the sea. God is tired of your little faith and He is ready for you to shoot for the sun.

God bless!