The King is Here: The Two Leavens

·35 min·3 clips

Jesus compares the kingdom of God to yeast, but also warns that hypocrisy spreads like yeast through a community.

The episode opens with a reading from Luke 13:10-17, where Jesus heals a woman who had been afflicted for 18 years on the Sabbath, leading to conflict with synagogue leaders. The speaker defines hypocrisy as saying one thing but believing another, noting that these leaders were losing influence because Jesus' miracles revealed the emptiness of their teachings. Jesus then tells parables comparing the kingdom of God to a mustard seed and yeast, which the speaker argues are connected to the preceding confrontation. The speaker explains that Jesus uses yeast in two ways: positively for the kingdom's growth and negatively for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, referencing warnings in Matthew 16, Mark 8, and Luke 12. He contrasts faith as 'believing in order to see' with the Pharisees' attitude of needing to see to believe, which he links to unbelief. The speaker shares a personal testimony: at age 10, his mother was diagnosed with lupus and given three months to live, but after he prayed copying a story from a preacher, she was completely healed, with a doctor writing a letter attributing it to unexplained reasons. He also recounts praying for sick people at age 18 without results, highlighting a shift in his understanding of faith. The sermon examines several biblical stories of faith, including the healing of a leper, the centurion's servant, calming a storm, and a woman with a bleeding issue, all from Matthew 8-9, where Jesus points to faith as key. The speaker emphasizes that faith is a gift received through surrender, not effort, and warns that the 'leaven' of unbelief can spread in the church. He shares another testimony from ministry school, where he prayed for seven people with hearing problems despite feeling unfaithful, and all were healed, demonstrating God's power. A congregant named Kate gives a live testimony: she broke her femur in an ATV accident, had a non-union fracture, and after prayer at Saints Hill, could suddenly put weight on her leg without a cane. The speaker concludes by urging listeners to choose the 'faith leaven' and let testimonies impact their hearts, inviting the worship team to come forward.

As heard by us

A Luke 13 healing becomes a pointed call to recognize freedom at work.

Luke 13 frames this episode around a woman who has been bent over for 18 years until Jesus heals her on the Sabbath. When a synagogue leader objects, Jesus exposes the contradiction: people will untie an ox or donkey for water, yet resist a daughter's freedom.

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Why you'd press play

Luke 13's Sabbath healing opens into a close-to-home testimony, giving you a church message about letting healing stories move your heart toward God.

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