Latest / Bible Study with Pastor Brian an NLCC Teacher / Book of Mark Lesson 6

Transcript

Book of Mark Lesson 6 · Bible Study with Pastor Brian an NLCC Teacher

0:01
SPEAKER_00: Well, welcome to Life in the Word, our verse-by-verse study of God's Word.
0:06
SPEAKER_00: This is Pastor Bryan, and today we continue in our study in the book of Mark.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: We're in Mark chapter 4.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: You know, in the first three chapters, Mark recorded the quick pace of Jesus' ministry.
0:21
SPEAKER_00: The crowds kept seeming to run to keep up with him.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: And the example of Jesus' teachings in these first three chapters were brief and punctuated, though with lots of action.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: Jesus' life demonstrated the truth that actions speak louder than words.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Now Mark turns his attention to the content of Jesus' teaching.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: While the last three chapters moved from one powerful encounter to another, this chapter includes a series of parables.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: The vitality of Jesus' actions and teaching drew many different people with various motives.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: And his parables entertained the many who were merely curious.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: But more important, the parables enlightened the few who genuinely sought to know God.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: So what is a parable?
1:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, a parable is an earthly short story that uses familiar scenes and everyday objects to explain profound spiritual truths and applications.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: A parable compares something familiar to something unfamiliar.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: And to those who were honestly searching, this message of teaching compelled the listener to think.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: It also concealed the truth from those who were stubborn or prejudiced to hear what was being taught.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: And most of Jesus' parables had one main point.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: So we need to be careful not to read too much into parables, forcing them to say what they don't mean as many false teachers do.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: And the parable of the sower seed and soils that we'll look at tonight certainly provides a clear example of these principles.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: The parable describes how the human heart responds to the truth.
1:58
SPEAKER_00: So look at Mark chapter 4, beginning in verse 1.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: Mark 4, 1.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: Once again Jesus began teaching by the lake shore, that is the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat.
2:15
SPEAKER_00: Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: So the wording indicates that this was the biggest crowd possibly that had gathered to see and hear Jesus thus far.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: In fact, it was so large that instead of asking his disciples to have a boat ready in case he needed it, as we saw last week, he went ahead and got into a boat, anchored a little way off the shore.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: Verse 2.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: He taught them by telling them many stories in the form of parables such as this one.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: Verse 3, listen, listen, a farmer went out to plant some seed.
2:49
SPEAKER_00: So Jesus commanded the crowd to listen because the crowd, many of them, were more interested in touching Jesus for healing or seeing the miracles.
2:58
SPEAKER_00: They needed to settle down and listen to Jesus' teaching because they had an important message for them.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you this question.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: What is the first responsibility of a Christian?
3:07
SPEAKER_00: What do you think that is?
3:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's a trick question.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: The first responsibility, in my opinion, as a Christian, is to be a great listener.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: I mean, no award is ever given for this kind of service, but nothing worth an award can be accomplished if our ears are not tuned to God's word.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: God's word, the Old and New Testaments, is clear enough if we want to learn and obscure enough if we want to tune it out.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: So listening has two requirements: time and concentration.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: If you want to help others, if you want to have a vibrant ministry, be a good listener.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: Hear the needs so that you can respond to their needs.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: I've told you before about my stepfather who was an eighth-grade dropout during the depression, who became a multimillionaire, who owned several corporations because he listened to what people needed and then provided the solution to their needs.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 1727 tells us, and I love this verse, a truly wise person uses few words.
4:04
SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, many people would rather talk than listen.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: So avoid that trap, and God will use you in wonderful ways to help others.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: So now in this parable we're looking at tonight, the first kingdom parable in Mark's gospel, it gave a familiar picture to Jesus' audience.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: A farmer sowing seed with the resulting increase dependent upon the condition of the soil.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: And in ancient Israel, seed was thrown by hand.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: As a farmer walked across the field, he would throw handfuls of seed onto the ground from a large badge swung across his shoulders.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: And no matter how skillful he was, no farmer could keep his seed from falling by the wayside, from being scattered among rocks and thorns, or from being carried far away by the wind.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse four.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: As he scattered it across the field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: Five.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: Six.
5:06
SPEAKER_00: But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots it died.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: Others fell among the thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
5:17
SPEAKER_00: Verse eight, still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: Then he said, Any one with ears to hear should listen and understand.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus' audience must have wondered at these strange words what he was saying.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: Didn't they all have ears and hadn't they all heard?
5:40
SPEAKER_00: So what was Jesus' point?
5:43
SPEAKER_00: Well, look at Matthew chapter seven, verse twenty four.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite stories of the Bible, Matthew seven, verse twenty four.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: It reads, Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a wise person who built a house on a rock.
6:00
SPEAKER_00: Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it's built on bedrock.
6:07
SPEAKER_00: But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: When it rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: So we have two men, two houses, basically not houses but lives.
6:23
SPEAKER_00: He's talking about our lives, building our lives on a strong foundation.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: Two men, two houses, both heard Jesus preach, both have lives filled with storms and trials like we all do, and yet only one overcomes these storms and trials.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: The one who heard Jesus' words and put them into practice.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: He did what Jesus said, what his word said.
6:45
SPEAKER_00: He listened and understood and was able to overcome those storms of life.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: He was a reproducer of God's word.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: The other man, he was just a receiver of God's word.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: He received it and did nothing with it.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: He just listened, but he didn't put what he heard into practice.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: He listened but wasn't paying attention.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: He was probably on his cell phone most of the time.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: His life was a disaster because he failed to hear the promises of God.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: See, Jesus wasn't talking about the act of simply hearing his words.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: He was speaking of a deeper kind of listening with the mind and heart that is necessary in order to gain spiritual understanding.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: Some people in the crowd that day were only curious about Jesus.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: A few were looking for evidence to use against him.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: Some were perplexed at his words, and others truly wanted to learn and grow.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: So Jesus' words were for the honest seekers.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: Those who honestly seek God's will have spiritual hearing.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: Anyone with ears, and we all have them, should listen and understand.
7:48
SPEAKER_00: We all need to be better listeners and doers of the word that we hear.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: That's when change happens.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: That's when ministry happens.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: Verse ten.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: Later when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parable meant.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: Verse eleven.
8:07
SPEAKER_00: He replied, You are permitted to understand the secret of the kingdom of God, but I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the scriptures might be fulfilled.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: When they hear what I say, they will not understand.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise they will turn to me and be forgiven.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: Verse thirteen.
8:29
SPEAKER_00: Then Jesus said to them, If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
8:36
SPEAKER_00: I mean, what did Jesus' mysterious pronouncement in these three verses mean?
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Well, look down at verse 24.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: We're going to skip down a little ways, and it will give us a better idea.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: Let me read verse 24 to you.
8:48
SPEAKER_00: Then he added, Pay close attention to what you hear.
8:52
SPEAKER_00: The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given, and you will receive even more.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: In essence, Jesus was boldly declaring that the condition of one's heart determines receptivity to truth.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: The scribes and Pharisees had been given straightforward truth that was revealed to them in the Old Testament, and they had rejected it, and thus they could ultimately lose this truth and it would be taken away from them.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: Those who receive truth and act upon it, who do it, receive more, but those who reject the truth will ultimately lose the little bit that they have.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: The parables were full of truth, but for truth rejecting people, they were impossible to understand.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: And this principle is paralleled in other areas of life.
9:47
SPEAKER_00: For instance, if we fail to exercise a muscle, we will one day lose its use.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: If we fail to use a talent or skill given to us, we'll lose it.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: And God's word, he confronts us with this truth every time we read it.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: But if we don't positively respond to it, we'll lose it.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: I mean, God didn't give us his word to entertain us or give us something to do, he gave it to change us.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: And that's a reality for those who sit under the teaching of God's work week after week after week and do not respond to it.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: The writer of Hebrews must have had these matters in mind when he wrote, For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews chapter 10.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: This applies to anyone who rejects Christ's atoning work on the cross.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: So now, alone with his followers, having made this sobering pronouncement, Jesus graciously explained the parable to the farmer's scatter seed.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: Verse 14.
10:49
SPEAKER_00: The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.
10:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
10:54
SPEAKER_00: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: So the farmers' fields in ancient Palestine were long and narrow strips divided by little paths that became beaten down and as hard as pavement by the feet and the hooves and the wheels of those who used them.
11:15
SPEAKER_00: The seeds merely bounced off those paths, they were so hard, or were swept back and forth by the wind.
11:22
SPEAKER_00: So what do those beaten down paths represent?
11:26
SPEAKER_00: Well, they represent the hardened heart of those who reject God's word.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: Their own busy comings and goings and the frantic, frantic traffic of life have so hardened them that nothing of God's true truth stirs them.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: For them there's no interest in God whatsoever because life is crowded with other things more important to them than God.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: Next the Lord explained the seed thrown in rocky places.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: So in Palestine, much of the land was like two or three inches deep of soil over a limestone bedrock.
12:15
SPEAKER_00: So here some of the seeds falls on this this shallow soil.
12:20
SPEAKER_00: The warm sun quickly heats the seeds in the shallow soil, and the seeds sprout and fervent growth, so they pop up.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: But then the sun beats down more and the plant's roots meet the bedrock.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: They can't keep growing, they can't find water, nutrition, and it withers and dies.
12:36
SPEAKER_00: And I've seen this tragically happen in a number of lives over the years.
12:42
SPEAKER_00: These people joyfully receive the good news of the gospel because of all the promises offered.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: They grow a bit and initially some show promise of growth.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: But since they have no root, they last only a short time.
12:54
SPEAKER_00: When trouble or persecution comes because of their new faith in God's word, they quickly fall away.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: They understand some of the basics of Christianity, but don't allow God's truths to work its way into their souls and make a change in their lives.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: So when trouble comes, that scorching heat, they decide not to believe the gospel or its promises and thus just fall away, walk away.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: Next, Jesus explained the image of the sower casting the seed among the thorns.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: Verse 18.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: But all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for things so no fruit is produced.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is this is Satan's most subversive tactic of all, I believe.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: These people hear the word, allow it to take root in the hearts, giving hope of a harvest.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: But thorns not seen have roots in the same ground that begin to grow up when the rains come and choke out the growing seed.
13:55
SPEAKER_00: I remember living on a farm.
13:56
SPEAKER_00: Both my grandparents are farmers, and when we'd plant, we'd drive the tractor and you'd turn around the corners.
14:01
SPEAKER_00: You just follow the fence line of your property, but around that fence line you couldn't get close enough and you couldn't get in the corners to plant the seed.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: Some would scatter over there, but eventually where you saw no weeds, the ground was perfectly clean, all of a sudden when the rains came, the weeds came and they would choke out any seed that was on that ground.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: So these thorns rob nutrition, water, light, and space from newly sprouted seeds.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: Distractions and conflicts rob new believers of time to reflect on and digest God's word in order to grow from it, as well as robbing guidance and support from God's Word and from interaction with other Christians.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus describes these thorns, the worries of life, the deceitful lure of wealth, and the desire for other things.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: These portray a divided heart, a heart divided by irreconcilable loyalties.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: This divided heart is like the heart of a girl to which a young man once proposed.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: He said, Darling, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: I want you to marry me.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: I'm not rich.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't have a yacht or a Rolls-Royce like Johnny Brown, but I do love you with all my heart.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: The girl thought for a moment and then replied, I love you with all my heart too.
15:21
SPEAKER_00: But tell me more about Johnny Brown.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: A heart that is overcome with love for riches and the things of this world is not a believing heart.
15:30
SPEAKER_00: In Matthew 6 24 it tells us, No one can serve two masters.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: You will hate one and love the other.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: You will be devoted to one and despise the other.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
15:42
SPEAKER_00: Many begin well, and it looks like they're believers, but the love of the world has strangled all vestiges of Christianity from their lives.
15:50
SPEAKER_00: You know, when I read this parable, I try not to read anything in it that's not there, as I talked about earlier, but I've seen those situations in people's lives that we're talking about.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: New believers who have no root, who are overcome with worry and anxiety.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: And it reminds me, and I hope all mature Christians that we need to notice these people and respond to these people, these new believers.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: We need to re-explain the way of salvation, get them into a Bible study, include them in groups that will pray for them and help guide them through their conflicts.
16:23
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's something we can do about it, but we've got to be willing to do about it.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: I mean, evangelism is not enough if it stops short of making disciples.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: We are to make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: Not new converts nor spectators.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: Discipleship required follow-through care.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: And we have to be those people.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: Every new believer should be anchored in Christ.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: We should never take for granted that a confession of faith means actual conversion.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: We must help the new faith to preserve and mature.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: And finally, there's the good soil in which the seeds bring forth fruit.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: Verse 20.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of 30, 60, or even 100 times as much as has been planted.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: The seed of God's word does not bounce off the surface of this heart.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: It does not momentarily flourish only to shrivel under adversity.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: It's not divided by competing desires and strangle.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: It's a heart that allows God's word to take deep root in it.
17:31
SPEAKER_00: It produces first a harvest of character as seen in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22-23.
17:37
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Then it produces a harvest of good works, for we are God's masterpiece.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: The parable Jesus gave answered the question of why there are so many opinions about Jesus.
18:03
SPEAKER_00: I mean, in Jesus' day, people range from belief to hatred and all shades in between.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: And the same is very true today.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: The answer, said Jesus, lies not in the message, for that's always the same.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Neither is the problem caused by the preacher or teacher if he or she shares the message appropriately.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: The answer is that the message falls on hearts that are in varied degrees of readiness.
18:25
SPEAKER_00: The message will not be accepted in the same way by all who hear it.
18:29
SPEAKER_00: Even the prophet Ezekiel had been told, whether they hear or refuse to hear, they shall know that there has been a prophet among you them.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, Ezekiel chapter 2.
18:42
SPEAKER_00: So now Jesus is going to give us a couple more parables.
18:45
SPEAKER_00: Verse 21.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Then Jesus asked them, Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed?
18:52
SPEAKER_00: Of course not.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: A lamp is placed on a stand where its light will shine.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: Verse 22, for everything that will that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: So what's Jesus' point in this parable?
19:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, I believe the disciples may have begun to start to understand the mission to which Jesus had called them, to be fishers of men.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: Like the farmer in the parable, they would have the job of sowing the seed of the gospel in a largely hostile world.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: The light of the truth about Jesus had illuminated them, were starting to, and it was their ministry to shine that light, to take their knowledge of Jesus Christ and his salvation into a sin darkened world.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: Their witness for Christ would be public, not hidden.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: The benefits of knowing Christ, Jesus, and receiving salvation were not to be kept to themselves, but passed to others.
19:47
SPEAKER_00: To hide the truth is foolish and unproductive.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: We must not blend so well with our non-Christian friends and neighbors that our faith remains invisible to them.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: We must take Christ's light out into the world.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: In addition, Jesus was explaining his use of parables.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: He was not deliberately trying to conceal the truth.
20:06
SPEAKER_00: That would be like lighting a lamp and then hiding it.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: So now we're in verse 24 through 25, which we already looked at earlier, so let's move on to the next parable in verse 26.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: 26.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: Jesus also said, The kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
20:23
SPEAKER_00: Night and day while he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: But he does not understand how it happens.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: The earth produces the crops on its own.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: This parable about the kingdom of God, recorded only by Mark, reveals that spiritual growth is a continual, gradual process that is finally and fully consumed in the harvest of spiritual maturity.
20:58
SPEAKER_00: And here we begin to understand the process of our spiritual growth by comparing it to the slow but certain growth of a plant.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, even though the farmer doesn't understand the actual process of growth, I mean, even modern scientists still cannot completely fathom the mystery of growth, his ignorance does not stop it from happening.
21:16
SPEAKER_00: He knows the seed will grow.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: And in the same way, the kingdom of God begins in a person's life with a seed of understanding that takes root in the good soil of a ready heart.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: That seed sprouts and grows into strong faith.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: But how that happens is God's responsibility.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: Well, while God uses his followers to plant seeds, he gives the growth through the Holy Spirit in our lives.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
21:47
SPEAKER_00: First Corinthians 3.
21:49
SPEAKER_00: The disciples, warning about the difficult mission ahead of them, were being told by Jesus that they need not worry about how the kingdom would grow.
21:57
SPEAKER_00: That part was up to God alone.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: Their job And our job is to sow the seed, to spread the good news.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: It's a responsibility of all believers.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: It says then the farmer takes his sickle to harvest the grain and put it in his barns.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, God promises that his harvest will be magnificent and prolific, the best fruit ever grown.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: I mean, your witness may be weak or your efforts may seem to influence few, but the word of God is a powerful growth agent.
22:24
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we need to keep our eyes on the great harvest to come when Christ returns, and don't let that bad soil or weeds discourage you from a life of faithful service and witness.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Verse 30.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, How can I describe the kingdom of God?
22:38
SPEAKER_00: What story should I use to illustrate it?
22:41
SPEAKER_00: 31.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: It's the smallest of all seeds.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: But it becomes the largest of all garden plants.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: It grows long branches and birds can make nests in his shade.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: So Jesus uses this parable to explain what?
22:58
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jesus stressed that his kingdom would have a small beginning, and indeed it did.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: There were only a handful of true believers.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: It began with Jesus alone, and upon his ascension was he was left, it was all left in the care of twelve apostles and a few hundred other followers.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: And though the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in all of creation, we know that today, it was the smallest seed at that time.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: For the disciples and for us, this parable meant that size or relative power does not indicate final results.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: The disciples need to understand that while their mission might at times seem unattainable, God's kingdom would take root and grow across the world, and it has.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: Verse 33.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: 34.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: In fact, in his public ministry, he never taught without using parables.
23:57
SPEAKER_00: But afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
24:01
SPEAKER_00: So Jesus adapted his teaching methods to his audience's ability and desire to understand.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: He didn't speak in parables to confuse people, but to challenge sincere seekers to discover the true meaning of his words.
24:14
SPEAKER_00: Those who listened carefully and with an open mind knew exactly what Jesus was talking about.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: And as we come to our last section of chapter four, let me share with you a story that I hope will help you understand what's really going on in this last section.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: It was Christmas Eve, 1875.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: Evangelist and song leader Iris Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River.
24:37
SPEAKER_00: It was a beautiful starlit evening, and many passengers were on deck who encouraged the famous evangelist to sing.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: Sankey, who was leaning against one of the steamship's great funnels, gazing at the stars in silent prayer, consented, intending to sing a Christmas song, but felt compelled to sing William Bradbury's song entitled Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: There was a deep stillness in his baritone voice that floated across a quiet river that Christmas Eve.
25:06
SPEAKER_00: And when he had finished, a man stepped from the shadows and said, Did you ever serve in the Union Army?
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Yes, mister Sankey answered in the springs of eighteen sixty.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: Can you remember if you were doing guard duty on a bright moonlit night in eighteen sixty two?
25:23
SPEAKER_00: Yes, mister Sankey answered, very much surprised.
25:27
SPEAKER_00: So did I when I was serving in the Confederate Army, the man said.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: When I saw you standing at your post, I raised my musket and took aim.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: I was standing in the shadow, completely concealed while the full light of the moon was falling upon you.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: In that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: Let him sing his song to the end, I said to myself, I can shoot him afterwards.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: I heard the words perfectly.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: We are thine.
26:00
SPEAKER_00: Do thou befriend us, be the guardian of our way.
26:04
SPEAKER_00: Those words stirred up many memories.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: I began to think of my childhood and my and my God fearing mother.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: She had many times sung that song to me.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: And when you had finished your song, it was impossible for me to take aim.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: I thought the Lord who was able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty, and my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Oblivious to any danger, Iris Sankey was spared a certain death.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: Coincidence?
26:33
SPEAKER_00: Hardly.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was God's sovereign power, and that's what I want you to understand.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: It was God's sovereign power that arranged for him to sing that particular song on that night, the exact familiar strain to evoke tender memories and his would-be slayer.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: God protects his own.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: That's what we need to learn.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: That's what the disciples need to learn.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: God protects his own.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: They're going to have a hard mission to go on.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be tough, but God's going to protect them.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: And none of us will go before our time.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: The keeping power of Christ over his people is a truth that we all need to understand and believe.
27:08
SPEAKER_00: So as we take up our story, this is what Jesus' disciples needed to understand and make part of their lives.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: And this is what his calming of the Galilean storm teaches.
27:18
SPEAKER_00: It had been a strenuous day in Jesus' taxing life.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: It had begun with blasphemous accusations by the Pharisees that he was controlled by Bezebub.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: His mother and brothers had attempted to kidnap him and take him back to Nazareth, for they thought he was out of his mind.
27:32
SPEAKER_00: Next he went down to the sea, where amidst a great mass of people began teaching him parables.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: Now it's the end of the day.
27:38
SPEAKER_00: Verse 35.
27:39
SPEAKER_00: As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, Let's cross to the other side of the lake.
27:44
SPEAKER_00: So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the followers behind, although other boats followed.
27:50
SPEAKER_00: So the Greek tense reveals a note of urgency in Jesus' decision to part.
27:56
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps he was so tired that he hit a wall and knew he couldn't go on.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: At any rate, in the darkening shadows of dust, Jesus moved to the stern of the boat where he wearily, wearily reclined on a pillow.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: The boat hoisted sail and began the five-mile trip across the lake, followed by a flotilla of admirers in their tiny boats.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: Then suddenly, without warning, they were blasted with a terrible storm.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: I mean the Sea of Galilee rests at 700 feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains gouged with these deep ravines, and these ravines serve as gigantic funnels to focus whirling winds down onto the lake without notice.
28:32
SPEAKER_00: But soon a fierce storm came up.
28:34
SPEAKER_00: High winds were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: So these waves grew larger and washed over the boat.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: At any moment they would be swamped to a water grave.
28:43
SPEAKER_00: The disciples were terrified.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: They had no way at that terrible moment of knowing it, but that miserable storm was a vehicle for teaching them about God and his sovereignty and his power over their lives.
28:57
SPEAKER_00: And here we see a principle of universal and spiritual application.
29:01
SPEAKER_00: That is, without difficulties, trials, stresses, and even failures, we would never grow to be what God wants us to become.
29:10
SPEAKER_00: Storms are an integral part of the process of spiritual growth and maturity.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: And I believe that every spiritual truth, everything that has enhanced my existence as a Christian, has come through affliction.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: And the fact is that all of us would be insufferably self-centered, proud, and empty people without adversity.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: So this storm was a step up for the disciples, although they didn't know it, and perhaps you have such a storm in your life right now.
29:36
SPEAKER_00: If so, why not ask God to help you make the most of it by learning from it?
29:42
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, so the storm continued with all its violence.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: The sails were in rags and water continues to wash in the boat.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: And where was Jesus?
29:50
SPEAKER_00: Verse 38.
29:51
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.
29:54
SPEAKER_00: The disciples woke him up, shouting, Teacher, don't you care, we're going to drown.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was utterly, totally exhausted at this point.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: And here we see a remarkable insight into the incarnation.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: Though in a moment Jesus would calm the store with an extraordinary display of power, he first slept in a weary, tired body.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: And to the disciples, Christ seemed to be unaware of their plight.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: And of course, we know that in the incarnation, Christ chose to always live in conscious dependence upon the Father.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, he could sleep a real sleep, knowing that the Father would awaken him at the right time to do his will.
30:30
SPEAKER_00: Nevertheless, the disciples' perception of Christ's apparent obliviousness to their misery is a picture of how we often feel in life's storms and trials, isn't it?
30:40
SPEAKER_00: We often so mistakenly conclude that we are alone, that no one, not even God, knows what is happening, nor how we feel, but how wrong we are.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: God is sovereign.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: God knows every wave that falls on us.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: He knows the heartbeat of our hearts, our respiration, the innermost thought of our thoughts of our mind, our emotions, even our dreams.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: Our storms, like the disciple storm, was necessary for ours and their spiritual development, just as necessary as the ensuing calm that was now to come.
31:11
SPEAKER_00: Verse 39.
31:12
SPEAKER_00: When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, silence, be still.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: And suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm.
31:19
SPEAKER_00: The storm ceased immediately, as all three gospels speak of a sudden calm.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: Just bam, it's done.
31:27
SPEAKER_00: The disciples were shocked at the power of the teacher to speak and control the wind, waves, and the wind.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: But they should not have been surprised.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: The storm was out of control.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: Their fears were out of control.
31:39
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus was never out of control.
31:41
SPEAKER_00: All power belongs to him.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: The apostle Paul would later explain in the book of Colossians, in Colossians 1.15, Paul wrote, Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: And then in verse 17 he writes, He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: I mean, scientists have spent thousands of hours every year plumbing this mystery.
32:09
SPEAKER_00: The reality is they need to understand Christ is the atomic glue of the universe.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: He's the creator, sustainer, and savior of our souls.
32:19
SPEAKER_00: So the disciples had seen Jesus do incredible miracles, but they hadn't taken their knowledge of his power and carried it to its logical conclusion.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: Sure, he could heal the sick, but when it came to ocean waves, he'd better have a bucket ready for baling water.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: The disciples wanted him to do something.
32:36
SPEAKER_00: Jesus wanted them to trust him.
32:38
SPEAKER_00: The disciples were acting like cowards when they should have acted with faith in their teacher.
32:43
SPEAKER_00: Verse 40.
32:44
SPEAKER_00: Then he said to them, Why are you afraid?
32:46
SPEAKER_00: Do you still have no faith?
32:49
SPEAKER_00: Despite all the disciples had seen and heard thus for, and despite their belief in Jesus as the Messiah, they still had not grasped that Jesus was God himself, given God's power and authority over all creation.
33:02
SPEAKER_00: 41.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: The disciples were absolutely terrified.
33:06
SPEAKER_00: Who is this man?
33:07
SPEAKER_00: They asked each other.
33:08
SPEAKER_00: Even the wind and waves obey him.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: So the realization of Jesus' incredible power terrified the disciples.
33:15
SPEAKER_00: Why?
33:16
SPEAKER_00: Well, this is not a cowardly fear they experienced during the storm.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: This fear conveys the awe and reverence they felt in the presence of divine power.
33:26
SPEAKER_00: They now realize that they were standing in the presence of deity, God Himself.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: They may have remembered the words of the psalmist in Psalm 89.
33:38
SPEAKER_00: You rule over the surging sea.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: When its waves mount up, you steal them.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: Being with the human compassion of Jesus was fine.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: Being with the all-powerful and supernatural Son of God was terrifying.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: So that's the end of chapter four.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: I hope you can take some something out of this, apply it to your life, learn from it, grow from it, be changed by it.
34:02
SPEAKER_00: And I hope you'll join us next week as we will get into Mark chapter 5.
34:07
SPEAKER_00: Until then, have a blessed week and keep your eyes focused on the Lord.