The Birds Do Not Belong in the Tree: The Mustard Seed Parable

Sermon outline

In the parable of the mustard seed the tree is the church grown into a great system and the birds in its branches are not God's children, so believers must test every spirit, stay within the Word and walk wisely.

1. The man, the field and the tree

   The man is the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus, who sows the seed. The field is the earth or the world, and He has the right to plant in it because He purchased it by His blood. The tree is a system or a kingdom. We normally assume the birds are people who are the children of God, and he says that is the mistake that hides the meaning of the parable. He turns briefly to Matthew 17:20 to say that mustard seed faith moves mountains and produces miracles, but that is the positive side of making the kingdom work for you and is another message altogether.

   Illustration: Given the right fertile ground, a mustard seed grows ten to twelve feet tall and becomes not a shrub but a tree.

   “The tree is a system or a kingdom.”

   • Matthew 13:31-32
   • Psalm 24:1
   • Matthew 17:20

2. In Scripture the tree is a symbol of haughtiness and pride

   He proves it from two passages. In Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar dreams of an enormous tree whose top touches the sky, with the birds of the air living in its branches, and Daniel's interpretation is that the tree is the king himself, grown great and strong. In Ezekiel 31 Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon that towered above every other tree, with all the birds of the air nesting in its boughs, and because it was proud of its height God handed it over to be cut down.

   Illustration: He teases the church to see who is awake, telling them that Daniel is just after Revelation.

   “In scripture, the tree is a symbol of haughtiness and pride.”

   • Daniel 4:9-12
   • Daniel 4:20-22
   • Ezekiel 31:1-14

3. The system is the church

   Jesus came into the world, planted seed and then withdrew Himself from the earth. Everyone came: not only the Jews were saved, but the Gentiles were grafted in, and they all began to perch on the tree. The church ended up with over two hundred denominations, false cults among them, and because it gained money, wealth and influence it became a system that was proud and haughty.

   “The tree became the religious church.”

   • Romans 11:17

4. The birds are not friendly birds

   He has the scriptures read aloud one after another. Abraham had to drive the fowls away from his sacrifice. Where the carcass is, the eagles gather. An angel calls the fowls to eat the flesh of kings, and fallen Babylon is a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. In Matthew 13 itself the fowls of the air devour the seed. So the birds are wild birds that should not be in the tree, yet they are in it. They represent men and women who profess to be Christians but are false teachers, bringing in the doctrines and traditions of men. They come from the air, and Ephesians 2:2 names Satan as the prince of the power of the air.

   Illustration: At Matthew 24:28 he asks what the different translations say, vultures or eagles, and points out that both are flesh-eating scavengers.

   “Were they supposed to be in the tree? No. But are they in the tree? Yes.”

   • Genesis 15:11
   • Matthew 24:28
   • Revelation 19:17-18
   • Revelation 18:2
   • Matthew 13:4
   • John 18:36
   • Ephesians 2:2

5. To sum up: three things, and Jesus' own explanation of the weeds

   Number one, Christ planted the mustard seed in the field, the world, to grow. Number two, the small seed became a tree, a system of religion that ended up full of pride and power when it should have been a system of humility. Number three, it was supposed to work against Christ's enemies but became a roosting place for satanic elements. He then reads Jesus' explanation of the parable of the weeds, with the church calling out each answer, to show that Jesus explains a parable in the same way, term by term, and that the weeds stay in the kingdom until the angels weed them out at the end of the age.

   “The church of the Lord Jesus Christ should be the only system that's fighting against the elements of Satan.”

   • Matthew 13:36-43

6. Do not run after signs, wonders and prophecies: test the spirit

   There are true signs and wonders in the church of the living God, but Pharaoh's magicians also turned sticks into serpents, and Jesus warned that even the very elect would be deceived. When He returns every eye will see Him, so do not run here and there. Not everyone sitting in church is wheat, and not everyone behind a pulpit is a true minister, but it is not our job to pluck up the tares: Jesus will separate them in that day. Our part is to test the spirit and to hold every prophecy to the more sure word, the Word of God.

   Illustration: Before he was in full-time ministry, a woman he did not know met him in a church parking lot and told him he would be a pastor and have a church. He later came to know that she had a familiar spirit, and he compares her to the woman who followed Paul crying out the truth until Paul discerned the spirit and cast it out.

   “Therefore, do not run after signs, wonders, and miracles. Run and chase after Jesus Christ.”

   • Exodus 7:10-12
   • Matthew 24:23-27
   • Revelation 1:7
   • Acts 16:16-18
   • Matthew 13:28-30
   • Matthew 23:27
   • Matthew 12:34
   • 1 John 4:1
   • 2 Peter 1:19

7. Walk circumspectly: guard your home and stay under your covering

   He does not allow just anyone to come and prophesy in his house, and tells the people to answer, 'I have a pastor, I'll phone him and check.' Do not run with every wind of doctrine: the Word, the Holy Spirit and a good Word-based church bring protection. Everything you have is holy and consecrated to the Lord, so do not let anyone defile it. In the church there are vessels of gold, silver and clay, some to honour and some to dishonour, and wisdom checks what vessel this is. Stay under the covering of your church. He says plainly that he is not telling them to be suspicious of people in church, only careful.

   Illustration: For four weeks a brother kept inviting him to a meeting to hear a visiting minister with 'a beautiful system' and a vision to catch. Each time he had a check in his spirit, 'don't go', and the Holy Spirit said it was not a vision He had given him. He admits that he has ignored such checks before and burned his fingers.

   “It's not a spirit of fear I'm trying to transfer in you. I'm trying to transfer in you a spirit of wisdom.”

   • Ephesians 4:14
   • 2 Timothy 3:1-4
   • 2 Timothy 4:3
   • Ephesians 5:15
   • Psalm 105:15
   • 2 Timothy 2:20