Council Grove Christian Church

8/12/26
Servants of God,
“…The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took
 and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened.”
-Matthew 13:33
 
Even though you know that God is doing his work in our world, do you ever get discouraged? The world we live in is a mess. There is too much sin and suffering and rebellion against God. Christians know we are saved and reconciled to our holy God by the precious blood of Jesus, but we can have seasons when we lose heart and feel down. The old gospel song speaks of “…seasons of distress and grief…” It is important to listen to the whole verse. “My soul has often found relief” follows as the song writer directs us to a sweet hour of prayer.
Let’s be honest, life can and does wear on us. Negative circumstances can pull us down. When we do not feel well physically, it is easy to get down spiritually. The crazy headlines often do not inspire hope. The important truth is that we do not have to remain down and discouraged. The psalm writer gives himself advice: “Hope in God” (Psalm 42).
God is the ultimate reality. We must measure all life from God and his word. Because we live in a fallen world, we can lose perspective. This is the reason we must go back to the Bible again and again. Only in God’s word can we be sure to receive the right instruction for living. In fact, the term “law” in scripture usually means “instruction” and not simply bare bones do and don’t rule and regulations. Often, there is a principle that God has built into the universe that, if we grasp it, will yield to us great blessing.
As we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling it is important to know that simultaneously God is at work in us. It is all gloriously mysterious, but we must remember that it is true (Philippians 2:12,13). God’s salvation agenda is unfolding and nothing can thwart it. But that does not mean the Christian life is easy.
God is working out his kingdom—his glorious reign and rule—in spite of human opposition and human frailty. We must decide daily whether we will actively be a part of advancing the kingdom. Part of what we have to do is trust and obey even when we cannot fully understand just how it is all going to work out. Often we cannot see the kingdom advancing.
Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is like leaven. The word picture he used in Matthew 13:33 is of a woman mixing leaven into a certain amount of flour (three measures). The leaven (yeast) does its work but it is done out of sight. In time, the leaven changes the nature of the entire lump of dough. Jesus gives us a chemistry lesson that points to a greater and higher spiritual lesson. He invites us to realize that just as God reigns and rules over chemical elements, he reigns and rules over the course of human history. Often, God’s method is to conceal his method. God’s work gets done out of sight and without much fanfare. By the time the leaven has done its work, there is no way to deny something very great has resulted from small and unremarkable beginnings.
Christians must not be Polly Annas. This world can be a nasty place. But we dare not forget God. Things will not get better without the involvement of God. What we must realize is that God’s way of change is rarely what we would order up. God has a preference for using the weak and ordinary to bring about strong and extraordinary results. Ordinary preaching, teaching and praying must occur. Bible study and prayer are rarely flashy events. Ordinary worship and fellowship can be mistaken (by the misguided) for the mundane. Christians who are well taught know that God’s way are not our way. We also know that God’s way is always best.
A bloody cross would not be our choice. A church full of broken people (people like us) would not be our preference. But God knows that his way leads to life and love and enjoying him forever. God also knows that our down times inevitably drive us back to him and his way. We must not forget that just as yeast quietly and consistently changes bread dough, God changes us and our world. God is at work. In the end, in God’s own time,  every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  
Blessings,
Pastor John
Coram Deo