O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE YEAST

(Matthew 13:33)  

This week’s chat is from the shortest parable of our LORD Jesus Christ. 

Our LORD’s parables are meant to teach and bless the people of God. As for the self-righteous and self-satisfied who think they have no need of Jesus, His teaching will be hidden from them. 

We see this sad frightening truth from the examples of the Pharisees and Scribes. They rejected Jesus and plotted His death. So, in Matthew 13:10-15, Jesus said that the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is obscure to them and what they already know will be hidden further! Jesus said that people like the Pharisees and Scribes will not know the true meaning of His parables. 

“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:10–15) 

The Blessed Privilege of Knowing 

If we are true disciples of Jesus, we are given the blessed privilege of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. This knowledge comes to us in great abundance through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. 

So, from our text of Matthew 13:33 we have this parable of Jesus, “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” 

Our LORD used the common leaven or yeast of Biblical times to explain the slow permeating characteristic of His Kingdom that will reach it’s ordained end. It is my prayer that this feature of the kingdom of heaven will give us hope and greatly encourage us to press on in this life of faith for our LORD’s glory! 

Leaven or Yeast 

The leaven mentioned here is dough that has yeast. In ancient times it was simply a piece of fermented leftover dough from the previous day’s kneading. 

Our LORD’s message about the kingdom of heaven is that His kingdom is like the common bread-making activity in the homes of His day. Everyone who is true to Jesus will understand what Jesus was teaching without any explanation. 

The Meaning of the Parable 

The object of this parable was the kingdom of heaven. In the Gospel, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of GOD are interchangeable and Jesus’ parable has no hidden message that needed to be unravelled. 

When we read the parables, there is no need to postulate what Jesus meant. If there is more than a simple meaning in His parable, Jesus would have explained it like what He did for the parables of the Sower (Matthew 13:13-23) and the Tares (Matthew 13:36-43). 

As for the parable for our chat, the message was that His kingdom starts out small, common and insignificant. It is just like the leftover dough that many may take for granted. This dough would have been kneaded into a new batch of flour to make bread. This is a daily activity that could be found in every home and duplicated over and over again. 

First Encouragement 

The kingdom of GOD will grow like this dough through mundane daily activities. This message is very encouraging. We do not need to do extraordinary things or be someone very special to be part of GOD’s ever-growing kingdom on earth. It is most encouraging indeed that we, ordinary people of GOD doing ordinary things, can do something for the building of GOD’s kingdom. 

We are encouraged by Jesus’ message in this parable to live for Him faithfully and like a child of GOD, to do the common normal things in this life in His name. 

The question before us then is what is our normal day and normal life like? Are we faithful like the woman who gave herself to kneading the dough so that the family may have bread to eat? Are we living each day and moment for the glory of GOD in our daily common activities? 

The woman in the parable  was true to her calling and duty as a wife and most probably as a mother as well. Are we true to Jesus who is our LORD and Saviour? Are we devoted to Him and love Him such that He is everything to us? If Jesus is not our LORD, He is not our King and what we do will not be for His kingdom. In whatever our circumstances in this life, who is king? Jesus, you or something else? 

This parable encourages us with the message that as part of His kingdom, we will not live in vain provided we are living for Him. 

Second Encouragement 

The second encouragement from this parable of Jesus is that His kingdom will grow. Yeast will cause the dough to rise and every woman in the kitchen knows it. 

The certainty of this fact which is the behaviour of yeast gave His audience the assurance that whatever little or much of what they do will bear spiritual fruit for the glory of Jesus. It assured them that their everyday living and submitting to Jesus at home and at work will be used of GOD to expand His kingdom. 

The lives that are spent for Jesus will expand the kingdom of Jesus. Every simple act done for GOD will bear fruit according to His timing, and this could mean the sowing of the gospel seed to the reaping of lost souls. 

Conclusion 

The last point from this parable is that yeast is pervasive and will affect everything nearby. The woman in Jesus’ parable hid three measures of leaven or leftover dough, and this dough was kneaded into the new dough to create another batch of dough for baking. And some of it will be put aside for future use. 

Every act of a child of GOD, no matter how small the act of faithfulness, can have a great impact for the kingdom of GOD. We can influence those around us. We can make a difference for Jesus wherever He has placed us. The  normal mundane things we do for Jesus in the present can be a part of a bright future because we are building His kingdom here and in heaven. It is a kingdom that knows no end, as it is ever expanding. 

The kingdom of GOD has the transformative power of God despite its seemingly insignificant or unnoticed beginnings.

– Joel Seah 

Shorter Catechism Question 13

Q: Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A: Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Sep 16

        7.30 pm     ERBL: Intro to Biblical Counselling (Mr Joel Seah)

Tuesday, Sep 17

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Heng Shao Sheng)

Thursday, Sep 19

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: The Book of Proverbs (Rev Lim Chee Boon)

Saturday, Sep 21

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

Sunday, Sep 22

  8.00 am     Building Together Nehemiah 3:1-32 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am Building Together Nehemiah 3:1-32 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.00 pm Session Meeting

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6) 

Announcements

Life BPC Job Vacancies

1. Church Operations Manager (COM)

Responsibilities:

The COM provides active oversight and support in the mission, administrative affairs and general operations of the Church including Financial Management, HR, MIS Technology, Media Technology, Facilities and General Administration.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree or higher
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in operations or managerial positions
• Good interpersonal and communications skills 

2. Estate Management Officer (EMO)

Responsibilities:

EMO plans, oversees and coordinates all property management and preventive maintenance activities associated for the church premises. Coordinates facilities usage for a range of Church activities and Church’s authorized users using the premises. The EMO reports to the Church Operation Manager.

Qualifications:

• Diploma or equivalent
• 5 years’ experience in real estate management and maintenance
• Certification in real estate management and maintenance is an added advantage
• Lifers are preferred 

Candidates with relevant qualifications and experience may submit your application and CV to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Senior Fellowship Talk

Senior Fellowship would like to invite you for its Wednesday meeting on a talk on "Eye Health Matters".

Date: 25 Sep 2024

Time: 10am-12pm (Lunch Provided)

Venue: Room 4-2, Beulah

Infant Baptism on Church Anniversary, 20 October 2024

Parents, please email the church office, with your full names, contact numbers, and your child’s name and date of birth by 22 September 2024.

Door to Door Evangelism 15 September 2024 

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond or Amos 

Traffic Warden Service

We welcome all church members to join in this work. Our TW’s role is to provide godly service to facilitate worship. We need help in following time slots for Sunday: 7.30-8am or 10.30-11am with a frequency of once or twice a month. Please contact Dn Chan Yong or Bro Kelvin .

Holy Communion Elements Preparation

Lifers are invited to serve in the Holy Communion elements preparation, clean-up and washing. Those interested may contact Jenny or Wendy .

Gospel Sunday

Please pray for our Gospel Sunday services which will be held on 29 September 2024.
English Service: "Christ, not religion, brings true righteousness" (Philippians 3:1-14) by Rev Mark Chen
Chinese Service: "Where does the Good News come from?" (Mark 1:1,14,15) by Rev Kew See Seong

Missions Seminar 2024

28 September; 3-6pm @ Beulah MPH. “Witnessing for Christ in the Last Days”

Speakers: Rev Charles Seet, Rev & Mrs Moses Hahn, Mr & Mrs Lim Kwang Taek, Bro Benjamin Heng

Registration link at: https://forms.gle/u92nfBsCWCgRDMaDA 

Senior Fellowship Seminar: Refire Not Retire! By Rev Lee Hann Yang

19 Oct 2024, Beulah MPH, 4-6pm followed by dinner. Register at https://www.lifebpc.com/sfseminar

YLM Seminar: The Multigenerational Church

12 Oct 2024 @ Beulah MPH, 3-6 pm.

LTF Camp: Sed or Blessed

2-6 Dec 2024 @ Life B-P Church. Age Grp: 12-17. Speaker: Rev David Wong

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