"And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
"And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my honor and great privilege to study God's Word with you today. We are so thankful that the Lord lead you join us. I want to let you know how grateful I am for each of you, for your faithfulness, dedication and commitment to share God's Word with others. People all around the world are desperate for the Word of God. It's a tremendous blessing, but it's a blessing that brings a huge challenge. With more people coming to Christ, pastors and church leaders are asking for more Bibles in their native languages. I hope that you will prayerfully consider helping us to make a difference by meeting their need. To God be the glory!
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my honor and great privilege to study God's Word with you today. We are so thankful that the Lord lead you join us. I want to let you know how grateful I am for each of you, for your faithfulness, dedication and commitment to share God's Word with others. People all around the world are desperate for the Word of God. It's a tremendous blessing, but it's a blessing that brings a huge challenge. With more people coming to Christ, pastors and church leaders are asking for more Bibles in their native languages. I hope that you will prayerfully consider helping us to make a difference by meeting their need. To God be the glory!
I also want to remind you to be sure to visit Go Ye Kids
children's ministry, Vanessa Taylor has helped us in providing printable biblical resources for
children, many of them free. So, please be sure to thank her and let her
know that you heard about her here.
Whether we are aware of it or not, our life is a witness to Christ before a watching
world. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. Tithing doesn’t
make
you a Christian. Calling yourself a Christian doesn’t make you a
Christian. Our lives are defined not only by the things that we do, but also by the things that we don’t do. Therefore, if we do not identify with Christ in every aspect of our lives, we are an enemy of God. It is disturbing the massive numbers of people who claim to be Christians that do not live by the principals given in the Bible. True Christianity is living in obedience to the Truth, not because we have to, but we obey Him out of our immense love Him, and in gratitude for what He has done.
In John 14:15, Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." How could anyone who has been redeemed sin against the Holy God Who has done so much to save him? Let's be honest, it's difficult to be a Christian while living in a world that despises us and everything we stand for. Nevertheless, Christ has charged His followers to reflect His Light in a world dominated by spiritual darkness, that is the function of a true follower of Christ in the world. If we’re going to be the light in this sin-darkened society, we cannot effectively do that if our lives are marked by corruption and sinful compromise. Because God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. In James 1, he says "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." Ultimately, it is not what we say, it's not what we claim but how we live that will have greatest impact on the lives of others. God manifests Himself as Light to the world through those who have received His Light through Jesus Christ. God is the source of our light. That's why we preach Christ because He’s the source of light. 1 John 1 says "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, Father, as always we thank You for Your Word. What a privilege we have been given to receive the profound gift of Your revealed divine truth in a world that is so confused that they cannot find the truth. Lord, help us to not just listen but to humbly hear with understanding. May we who believe not only proclaim the Truth, but commit ourselves to living in the Light that You may be glorified and Christ would be exalted. Thank You Father for calling us out of darkness into Your marvelous light and granting us the tremendous privilege of leading others to true salvation through Christ by Your power of Your Word. Lord, how we long for the day of Your return when we will enter into the full light of eternal glory!
In Jesus' name
Amen
Today's Message: Building God's Kingdom God's Way
Open your Bibles to Mark chapter 4, verses 21-25
and follow along with me as I read these verses to you to
set the text in our minds. I pray that the Lord would help us to hear
and apply what He has to say to each of us today. Mark 4:21-25.
"And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."
And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
In these simple parables, Jesus gives us a comprehensive illustration of the Christian in the world. He makes this clear that if you have been privileged to receive the light, the revelation of divine Truth, we are to appreciatively let that light shine. This is not a random suggestion, but a command that we are to respond obediently to. A lamp that provides no light isn't really good for anything is it? Apart from the manifestation of the Light, the world will remain in darkness. Therefore, we who have been redeemed should never be complacent about people entering eternity without Christ when we have in our hands, the power of God's Word to transforms lives. However, we must not allow ourselves to become discouraged because it’s not working out like we expected.
In Matthew 7:14, Jesus said "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Why can't they find it? Because a deep darkness covers the world. The disciples were facing a situation not unlike the church today, though the crowds were massive, instead of people running toward the Light to follow Christ, many were turning away.
In modern Christianity, because the culture was hostile toward the Scripture, church leaders have decided to re-imagine and reinterpret the doctrine, making damning alterations to the Gospel to make it more palatable, more inclusive and easier to tolerate in order to connect with the sinful culture, by meeting their selfish, self-centered needs, and self-gratifying desires allowing them to hold onto their sin and grasp a salvation that provides a false assurance leading not to eternal life but to destruction. Hell will be filled with false converts. So, while it may appear as though Christianity is exploding, it's utterly ineffective in producing true followers of Christ. Rather than shinning a light in the darkness, it has hidden the Light. The church can never change the world by becoming life the world.
That is precisely what the Lord meant in verse 21, "And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?" Jesus came as the Light of the world to dispel the darkness, you and I are called to reflect that Light. In order to let the Light of Christ shine through us to others, we have to proclaim the Gospel obediently, and boldly, we don't put it where it can’t be seen. Our
Lord is saying if your life is influenced by sin, if you're living an
impure life, behaving as the world behaves, you're not going to create a
hunger and thirst for God. We must seize every opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, there are many within the church who spend more time sinning than shining. Rather than exposing the deeds of darkness, they are themselves enjoying the darkness.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:6,
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
In Matthew 5:16, He said "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." If the world was dark and decaying in Jesus' day, and it was, certainly it has become even worse today. The way of sin has always been a downward spiral, all we've managed to do is increase the rate of speed at which it occurs. It is this unbridled sin and decay in moral standards that will eventually cause God to unleash His wrath and fury in final judgment on the unredeemed world.
In verse 22, "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light." Here He is saying it's being kept secret now, there’s going to be a time to disclose the secret to everybody. If you remember, our Lord spoke to the crowds in parables to prevent them from understanding, but after His death and resurrection the Gospel is to be permanently revealed. The most important assignment the church has today is to proclaim to the Gospel in Truth. We have a responsibility to take the message to the world. That's the Great Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.." We are not to hide the message.
Verse 23, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Not everyone who hears listens. I believe the inability to listen well has contributed to many of the problems facing the church today. Jesus said in John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." The scribes and Pharisees heard His teachings, but they refused to listen and believe. Are you listening? The more we listen, the more we’ll learn and understand. Our usefulness to the kingdom of God is proportional to our obedience to listen attentively.
Then in verse 24, "And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides." This is a good reminder for us to be careful about what we allow ourselves to see and hear. In other words, don't just listen but pay attention to what hear. We are the gatekeepers of our own minds! Or as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10, we are to be "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."
Your eternal reward is directly proportionate to your willingness to advance the kingdom of God. You cannot reap what you haven't sown, right? The more effort you're willing to put into proclaiming the Gospel, advancing the kingdom now, the greater your eternal reward. There's no limit. 1 Corinthians 3:8, "Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
Verse 25, "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." The more faithful you are, more shall be given, whatever you have sown will be measured back to you all the more! This is the principle of reciprocity, we get out what we put in.
Then He says if you've been sowing a false Gospel, producing false converts, you may think you have a reward coming but you will receive no reward! Not only will they not receive a greater reward, but even what they have shall be taken away! All those false teachers proclaiming the prosperity gospel, those selling easy believism and cheap grace, keep your sinful lives and just add Jesus, boasting about bringing thousands to Christ, will be left with nothing but condemnation. We are commanded to humbly sow the Gospel in Truth, confidently, understanding the results do not depend on us.
Matthew 7:21-23, "Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
Verses 26-29, "And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." This is both obvious and profound; our responsibility is to keep sowing the good seed, and go to sleep, it's important to understand our limitations, it doesn't mean that all the seed you sow will bring about salvation. However, it doesn't mean that because we can't see it growing, that it isn't, the reality is we might not see the results of the harvest in our lifetime, we can believe that there's going to one day be a great harvest, knowing it is God Who grants the increase! The point is farmer can't make growth happen, he sows his seed and goes to bed, waiting until it's time to harvest. In the same way, all we can do speak the Gospel in Truth, we aren't responsible for the growth, God prepares the hearts, and He determines the outcome. Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us." Like the farmer, we sow and go to sleep, everything will fall into place. I cannot make seed grow; I can’t even explain how it grows.I just know that it does.
This is a critical lesson for all the smooth talking preachers who attempt to
manipulate peoples emotions, to convince them accept Christ. You can
stop bragging yourselves, you didn't start it, and you can't
stop it! God alone does the work.
Verse 30, "And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?" If you’re struggling with growing weary of sowing, wondering why you don't see more growth, asking yourself if preaching even matters, be patient, growth is not always easy to measure. Jesus gives a simple illustration to the disciples who were facing similar struggles to help them understand what the future outcome would look like. The outcome is inevitable, sowing leads to growing which eventually leads to showing.
In verses 31-32, "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade." He compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds they used in their farming, it wasn't actually the smallest of all seeds on the earth. Yet when it is sown in the soil, it grows until it becomes larger than all the garden plants, some growing as tall as 15 feet high and as much as 6 feet in diameter. Those listening would have understood that a mustard seed was very small, about the size of a grain of sand. I read somewhere that there are about 21,000 seeds in an ounce.
Acts 1:15 tells us that there were about 120 devoted believers. But on
the Day of Pentecost, over 3,000 were saved at one time. A short time
later, another 5,000 came to Christ at one time. Later, the church in Jerusalem was said to number 50,000! The meaning of the parable is obvious, small beginnings are no indication of how large the results are going to be. Like a mustard seed, the kingdom results will be staggering! In fact, the Church has grown significantly through history and continues to grow even
today! I don't believe that we've begun to see just how massive the kingdom is going to be. God loves to do amazing things with what appears to be insignificant.
Listen as I read Revelation 7:9-10, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
That brings us to verses 33 and 34, a reminder that He was speaking to the crowd, and He explain the parables to them. "With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples." Only the disciples were told that the nations of the world are going to be brought into this.
Oh what a tremendous privilege it is to know the revealed Truth of God. I am overwhelmed by the depth of its richness. May we listen humbly, and obediently while taking the Gospel to the unredeemed believing that God will produce something that is huge!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen