A Matter of Life and Death

Introduction

The fourth parable is the Parable of the Leaven. In Matthew chapter 13, verse 33, the Bible says, “Another parable He spoke to them: The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

The word “leaven” is used ninety-eight times in the Bible. About seventy-five times in the Old Testament and about twenty-three times in the New Testament. It is never used to represent anything good. Leaven always represents evil. That’s why in the Old Testament leaven was not to be used in the offerings made to God. And that’s why in the New Testament Jesus warns us of the danger of the evil leaven of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians. We will discuss these three false doctrines later. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”, Matthew 16:6. The Bible goes on to say that the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees represents their false doctrine, Matthew 16:12. Jesus said again, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Herodians”, Mark 8:15.

I. The Basic Understanding Of Leaven

When leaven is a substance, like yeast, and it is mixed and kneaded into a batch of meal it expands very rapidly until the whole batch is leavened. I want to read Matthew chapter 13, verse 33 again.

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” There is no doubt about it, leaven represents evil doctrine. I hope you precious women will not throw your Bible at me when I say this, but when the word “woman” is used in a doctrinal sense in the Bible, she is always used symbolically as an agent of evil. One example is Jezebel. Jezebel is used symbolically as an agent of false doctrine in Revelation 2:20-23. Now let’s look at the word “meal”. Some people think the word “leaven” represents the gospel. No! No! No! “Leaven” represents evil. The “three measures of meal” represents the gospel. We know this because meal is made out of the seed of grain and Jesus told us in the first foundational parable that the seed represents the Word of God. The “women” mentioned in Matthew 13:33, “hid” “three” measures of “leaven” in the “three” measures of “meal”. The gospel is not to be hidden. The gospel is to be preached from the house tops to the whole wild world.

The three measures of meal represent the true gospel of Christ built around the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unless we at least have an elementary understanding of the Godhead there is very little in the Bible we can understand. The Godhead (the Trinity) is a fantastic and exciting study for another day. The agents of the devil, false preachers and teachers are in the process of hiding three false doctrines in the gospel of Christ today. These three false doctrines of leaven have produced fermentation and is causing the church in the Kingdom of Heaven to have a tremendous false growth of people adhering to a watered down social gospel that one day will be completely corrupted. Just like leaven mixed into bread makes it tastier, leaven (false doctrine) mixed in with the true gospel will make it more appealing and acceptable to the world.

II. The Blasphemous Undercurrent Of Leaven

The Parable of the Leaven teaches that the mixing of false doctrine with the doctrine of Christ will eventually lead to total apostasy and corruption. When the true church is rapture at the translation, the Kingdom of God will be gone from the earth, and all that’s left will be a totally depraved and corrupted false church in the Kingdom of Heaven. Please keep in mind, the only way to get into the Kingdom of God is to be born again, John 3:3. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Heaven is all of Christendom, made up of anyone and everyone who is religious or embraces Christianity in some way. You may want to go back and read our introduction showing the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. When the Kingdom of God is taken out of the Kingdom of Heaven at the rapture, the only people left on earth will be the cults, isms, religious fanatics and freaks, and everyone else who does not believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, John 14:6.

I become more amazed everyday of the multitude of professing Christians who believe that Jesus may not be the only way to heaven. I’m even more appalled and concerned that we have so many professing Christians who do not believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. If you ever want to know if a person’s Christianity is real or not, all you have to do is ask them one question. Is Jesus God? According to 1 John chapter 4, verse 1 through verse 3, any person who does not believe Jesus is God in the flesh, is not only not a Christian, but is Antichrist. If you would like to have my study on this subject let me know and I’ll be happy to send it to you free of charge.

The Apostle Paul warned us that in the last days people will not endure sound doctrine, but be quick to accept a social gospel and follow preachers and teachers who will make them feel good with their stories, promises and lies, 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Let’s look at the three measures of leaven (false doctrine) that is mixed in with the three measures of meal (the true gospel).

A. The Leaven Of The Pharisees

First, the leaven of the Pharisees. The leaven of the Pharisees is legalism and hypocrisy. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven (the doctrine) of the Pharisees”, Matthew 16:6. How would you like to pastor a church, or be a member of a church, full of devoutly religious people who tithed, worked real hard, were in church every time the doors where opened, prayed three times a day and fasted twice a week? If so you would be a member of a church full of Pharisees.

In Matthew chapter 23, verse 1 through 39, Jesus preaches the most scathing, hell fire and damnation sermon ever preached by anyone. To the sinner He has compassion and says, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. However, to these religious people, these scribes, Pharisees, Rabbis, teachers and religious leaders, He warned them of the judgment to come.

In this sermon the word “woe” is used eight times. “Woe” is always a word of warning. Jesus calls these Pharisees hypocrites seven times. These Pharisees insisted on being referred to with dignified titles like, Rabbi, Father, Reverend and Doctor. They made promises and did not keep them. Jesus called them liars, robbers and thieves. They majored on things of little or no value and make a big deal out of non-issues. At the same time, they were not serious about the issues of life that really mattered. Jesus called them serpents and a generation of vipers. He told them that on the outside they may look like whitewashed tombs, but on the inside they looked like and smelled like an open grave full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Jesus told them that when they did

make converts and get a following they made them twice as much the sons of Hell just like they were already. What an indictment! He accused them of killing the prophets and stoning them. I know of some churches today that are doing the same thing to their pastor. They are stoning him to death.

We need to take the advice of Jesus when He said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” The Pharisees were stoners. Let’s not be a stoner.

My wife and I were in Birmingham, Alabama in a revival at the 50th Avenue Baptist Church several years ago. Someone in the church had heard something negative about us and was spreading it around the church creating all kind of problems for the pastor. He had us come in spite of the dirt he had heard. When we got there he had a bucket of rocks on the platform. I ask him what the bucket of rocks was for. He told me the story. Then he said he had told the people the Sunday before we got there, that the Lord had led him to invite us to come to their church for a revival, and that they were welcome to stone us when we came in the door if they were without sin. Thank the Lord we never got hit even though we probably deserved it. We had a wonderful revival with over 70 accepting Christ as their personal Savior and a house full of people every night. The last night of the revival they voted to have us come back the next year.

B. The Leaven Of The Sadducees

Second, the leaven of the Sadducees. The leaven of the Sadducees is skepticism and hypocrisy. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven (the doctrine) of the Sadducees”, Matthew 16:6. The Sadducees believed in God but denied the deity of Christ. Like the Scribes and Pharisees, and many people today, the Sadducees were always looking for some kind of sign that would prove to them that Jesus was the Christ and that the Scriptures were true. I think they were looking for a sign like fire from heaven that answered Elijah’s prayer, the plagues on Egypt, or the sun standing still, or something spectacular that they could see with their own eyes. Jesus told them that the only sign He was going to give them was the sign of Jonah. Jesus rebuke them and said, “It is an evil and adulterous generation that seeks after a sign”, Matthew 12:38-42. There are many people today who are always looking for some kind of sign instead living by faith and accepting the Word of God at face value.

The Sadducees claimed to be religious but their life was mostly secular. They were more of a clique than anything else. Even though they were religious officials and controlled the Sanhedrin, they lived their life and made decisions based on secularism. The Sadducees were materialistic, educated, wealthy and influential. They worked behind the scenes in an effort to control the religious leadership of that day. This is one reason that the Pharisees and Sadducees did not like one another, but sometimes they would lay aside their differences and come together to oppose Jesus. The same thing is taking place today.

C. The Leaven of the Herodians

Third, the leaven of the Herodians. The leaven of the Herodians is worldly-ism and hypocrisy. Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Herodians”, Mark 8:15. If you can’t find worldly-ism in your dictionary, you may have to wait until the First Addition of the Massegee Collegiate Dictionary comes out to find it.

The Herodians were a political party that supported the Herod dynasty. They claimed to be religious but lived very irreligiously. They also tried to control the Sanhedrin like the Sadducees. That’s why there was a conflict between the two. However, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians would lay aside their differences and join forces sometimes to oppose Christ. They lived a very worldly life and threw all kind of wild parties. You may remember John the Baptist lost his head as a result of preaching against some of their sexual activity.

The evil doctrine (the leaven) of these three groups mixed in with the true gospel of Christ (the meal) is expanding very rapidly today. It will continue to expand until the whole batch (the whole gospel) is leavened (corrupted). Can you image what kind of church and what kind of gospel will be left after all God’s people are translated to heaven? This bunch of losers will make up the false church during the tribulation and help the Antichrist rise to power. After the Antichrist uses this false church (the harlot) to rise to world wide dominance, he will destroy her, so he and he alone will be worshiped, Revelation 17:16-17.

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares reveals false Christians in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Parable of the Mustard Seed reveals the false growth in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Parable of the Leaven reveals the false doctrine in the Kingdom of Heaven.