"The Light!" (Mark 4:21-25)

"The Light!"

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #25)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 17, 2011

The Word of God from Mark 4:21-25 (NAU): 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? ²² For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 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. 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."

Jesus is continuing in His teaching on the Kingdom of God utilizing parables. Today, we will listen to both the Parable of the Lamp (vv. 21-23) and the Parable of the Measure (vv. 24-25). I believe that Jesus is both illuminating the Kingdom of God through these parables, but He is also teaching His followers, who have already received the mystery of the Kingdom of God, why He utilizes parables with the crowds of people. In that latter sense, this section of Scripture serves as a bookend to Mark 4:10-13 in His private discourse with His followers; with the meat of this section being the explanation of the four soils in vv. 14-20, which we unpacked last week.

This is important to understand because Jesus is emphasizing that the ultimate purpose of parables is to reveal that which has been hidden; to bring to light that which is a mystery to so many people who have not understood the Kingdom of God through Jesus' person, direct teachings, and the manifestations of God's coming rule (listen to verse 22 with this in mind, "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light."). Parables are pictures of the Kingdom of God so that people, if they will hear honestly and believe, even if they only see in part, even if they only see in a mirror dimly the mystery of the Kingdom of God, later they will be able to know fully just as they will be full known (1 Corinthians 13:12). As we will learn in the coming weeks, salvation begins with a mustard seed. Listen to verse 25 with this in mind, "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." If only you would receive the smallest seed of faith in your heart, God promises that He will bring it to abundant harvest with eternal life. But if you do not receive faith, no matter how many riches or successes or good deeds you do in this life, all will be taken from you in the life to come.

Now, let's dive into the foremost purpose for this passage by exploring the two parables themselves. Remember, that in these parables Jesus is illuminating the Kingdom of God through these pictures that bring the hearer from a reality of the 'here and now' so that they may begin to understand and receive the mystery of the 'there and then'. Let's dive in…JESUS CHRIST CAME TO LIGHT THE WAY TO GOD.

Listen to Mark 4:21-23 again, "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.'"

Jesus wants you to understand; He even prays the declarative prayer that anyone who has ears to hear, may they hear the spiritual reality in this parable. The lamp is Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, and He was not sent into the world to be hidden or even diminished by the things of this world. No, a lamp is supposed to bring light so that people can perceive! Remember the words of Luke 19:10—Jesus was sent with a redemptive purpose for all people for all time! Jesus came so that when lifted up from the earth, all men would be drawn to Him (John 12:32).

Listen to John 8:12, "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'"

Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise found in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Friends, you do not need to go through this life wandering from experience to experience, riding the roller coaster of human emotion, chasing happiness, corralling hope, deconstructing truth. The Truth can be known and the Truth will set you free—free from the captivity of sin and free from delusions of who we are and why we exist. Jesus Christ, came from Heaven to earth to show us the way declaring, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

Who or what lights your way in life? Someone or something will direct your way in life…I have found that God is faithful and just to keep His promises!

If you join me and we claim the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives and we call ourselves Christian, then AS HIS DISCIPLES, WE ARE CALLED TO BE LIGHTS IN THE WORLD POINTING TO JESUS CHRIST!

And this is where the Parable of the Lamp leads us to a life application—as a community and as individuals. If we accept the truth that Jesus Christ is the Light sent by God to show all humanity the way to God, then there are implications in our own lives. Jesus Christ stated in a parallel passage of our Scripture today found in Matthew 5:14-15, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."

God sent His One and Only Son as the Light of the world so that whoever follows Jesus will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life. That's the truth of John 8:12. Jesus Christ the Son of God, calls you and me to be Light-bearers to a darkened world!

We are called to labor in the harvest fields. We are called to follow Jesus and fish for men. God's redemptive plan to bring salvation to all humanity includes you and me! You are blessed with faith and salvation, so that you may be a blessing—your life is no longer your own; you are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 7:23). The Light into the world continues today 2000 years after Jesus Christ lived on earth, shed His blood for each of our sins on the Cross, and defeated death being raised from the dead 3 days later, ascending to the Father to His rightful place on the throne, and sending upon His Church the Holy Spirit of God to fulfill the promise of God's presence and power in our lives. The God who is the Light lives in us and we become the light.

This is called incarnational ministry! We are Light-bearers because God lives in each of us and His very presence in us changes not only our eternal destiny, but also our purpose for living. Philippians 2:14-15 declares, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."

You have the very person of God living in you; the essence and substance of God has regenerated you to life and now empowers you to live a life that more and more conforms to image of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. God's substance lives in you! Here is a scientific reality that illumines this: Darkness has no substance; light does! Does your life bring substance to those around you?

The way we conduct ourselves is important because the world will only know Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, by you and me being what we were intended to be—we are meant to be lights to the world that point to Jesus Christ, the Light whom we reflect in our heart, minds, words and deeds. He becomes and is the substance of our lives! We are called to be like the moon which has no light of its own, but shines brightly in the darkness because it reflects the light of the sun. Is the light of Jesus Christ visible for all to see in you and through your life?

Let us shine the Light so that WHOEVER RECEIVES JESUS CHRIST HAS THE GIFT OF GOD'S ACCEPTANCE! Doesn't it just humble you to realize that the God who created you, who created the Heavens and the Earth, who is all powerful, has chosen you, has gifted you, and has called you to shine His light before all men so that they too can receive the gift of God's acceptance? You are a part of His plan! Yet it is so easy for us to get distracted and busy with jobs and activities that distract our focus and diminish our light. The bottom line is that we cannot afford, nor can all those people in this ever darkening world afford for us to let His light diminish because we are distracted. There are significant real life consequences!

Mark 4:24-25 teaches, "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.'"

In the Kingdom of God, how we cultivate the seed in our lives directly determines how much more will be given to us; this is the law of increase. It's true in our spiritual life—spend time with Jesus in a lifestyle of worship and mission and you will know more and more of Him. If you dabble, you will only have enough religion to be miserable, but if you dwell in Him then you will gain more and more of His presence. This is true for knowledge—if you study little you will gain little; it's true for our physical fitness—if you work out little you will gain little; it's true of the skills and crafts—if you train and work little you will gain little; it's true of our ability to bear responsibility—if you take on very little responsibility then you will be given very little responsibility.

The emphasis in these verses is the promise of God to all who take care to listen to the parables. Let these people hear the parable and with what measure they receive it shall be measured to them. Your attitude of hearing shall create the ultimate result. This parable is to wake up people who are rejecting Jesus' teaching as well as to encourage the followers, who have the mystery of the Kingdom of God. If you have Jesus, you have everything. If you reject Jesus, you have nothing, and that which you think you have will be taken from you.

Listen to the power of receiving the Living Word, the seed of life, as described in John 1:9-13, "There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord we are walking out of darkness into light. In that moment we are accepted as a child of God—chosen for adoption and filled with the Holy Spirit which seals us for eternal life and gifts us for service. It is amazing this happens from receiving God's Word into our heart! What an abundant harvest!

The Bible declares in John 3:18-19, "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

All humanity will be judged according to this one thing—what did you do with the Light that came into the world? Through the authority of the Word of God and with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I am calling you to personally make a choice today to what measure you will receive Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

Jesus came to light the way to God! In response to this revelation, you either walk in the light of God's acceptance or in the darkness of God's judgment. Do you love the darkness or the Light? There is no greater decision you will ever make in your life. Let's pray.

"There is work to be done!" (Mark 4:13-20)

"There is work to be done!"

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #24)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 10, 2011

The Word of God from the Gospel of Mark 4:13-20 (NAU): ¹³ And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; ¹⁷ and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. ¹⁸ And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." [Prayer]

After teaching the large crowd of people who followed Him to the Sea of Galilee, we now find Jesus Christ alone with His followers, along with the twelve, who are asking Him about the parable. It is essential that we understand the shift in target audience, because with the shift in audience comes a shift in Jesus' focus within the parable itself. In the original telling of this parable, Jesus' audience was a very large crowd most of whom did not know Him as Messiah and had not yet received the Kingdom of God. His focus to this group was on the seed…the seed was the main point and we learned together that without good seed—the Word of God—there would be no harvest (no salvation)! Today, we will see that when explaining this teaching to His followers who already possess the mystery of the Kingdom of God through the living Word, Jesus focuses on explaining the four soils on which the seed falls. It's the same parable, but different focuses for two very different audiences. As we see in verse 13, Jesus emphasizes the importance of understanding this parable as a follower of Jesus Christ. We must get this. So, let's dive into it together.

First, Jesus teaches that THIS IS GOD'S HARVEST!

Mark 4:14 states, "The sower sows the word."

When Kimberly and I set out to plant our vegetable garden this year, we made sure to find out where to get good seed, because a lot of work goes into cutting a new garden: removing the sod, cultivating the ground, planning and preparing. You can do a ton of work, but if you aren't using really good seed, then no matter how hard you work you won't reap a harvest. The good news of the Kingdom of God is that God is sowing very good seed that promises to produce an abundant harvest! And this seed is the Word of God!

The Bible declares of the Word of God in Isaiah 55:11, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

The harvest that Jesus Christ is teaching about is the harvest of men and women into the Kingdom of God! Not a perishable crop like my vegetable garden or Ed's strawberries, but an imperishable kingdom of men and women brought under the reign of God's authority for eternity. God has purposed and willed for the Word of God, which is the person of Jesus Christ and the written word of His testimony, to reap this abundant harvest in the lives of individuals like you and me. 1 Peter 1:24 promises of this harvest, "For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God."

But, just like with my vegetable garden in my back yard, it is not enough to have seed, there is hard work (labor) that must be done to reap the harvest of the seed that has been sown. DISCIPLES ARE SENT OUT TO LABOR IN GOD'S HARVEST!

Jesus teaches His disciples in the Gospel of Luke 10:2, "And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" Last week, we prayed Luke 10:2 together asking God to open our eyes to the harvest that is ripe in our community and beyond. Throughout this last week, did God open your eyes to His harvest fields in our community?

The harvest is our community and to the places around the world we are called to work with people for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God. Are you willing and available to be a laborer in God's harvest, wherever and whenever He may call you to labor?

- Cleaning up the railroad tracks near Eastwood

- Prayer walking Lowe Park, Westminster, Belmont

- Prayer walking Memorial Park & neighborhood

Let's pray together for each of us to be open, available, and willing to be used by God as a laborer in His harvest fields, wherever and whenever He may call. [Prayer]

We must pray for God's grace to be a laborer because AS A LABORER, YOU WILL DEAL WITH A DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE! Let's now turn our attention directly to Jesus words to learn about this diversity of people.

First, Jesus explains that SOME PEOPLE HAVE HARD HEARTS.

Jesus explains Mark 4:4 ("as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.") in Mark 4:15, "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them."

We each know these people; they come in many shapes and sizes. They are both conservative and liberal politically. They are of all colors and nationalities. They are our fathers and our children; they are our neighbors and coworkers. They are fellow students and our teachers or professors. These are the people who do not want to hear, cannot hear, and are unwilling to let the truths of God's revelation even be considered as relevant in their lives. Some of my dearest loved ones fall into this group and what should I, you, and we do with them?

God has sowed the seed even onto these people, but how do we labor with such hard unreceptive ground? We must water the hard ground with prayer and love! Love with your words and deeds; never tire of doing good! Pray and pray some more; it's never in vain! Through time and perseverance, water changes landscapes. Through time and perseverance, faith moves mountains! Water the hard ground!

Second, Jesus explains that SOME PEOPLE MAKE SHALLOW COMMITMENTS.

Jesus explains Mark 4: 5-6 ("Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.") in Mark 4:16-17, "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away."

The reality of modern Christianity in the USA is that a large percentage of new converts will fall away, not because of their lack of sincerity, but because our failure to teach and equip (disciple) them on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We must disciple this person from the very beginning teaching them the commandments of Jesus and to obey all of them. The key is in relationship and small group discipleship! We must walk with new converts until they grow up into disciples. In the same way that we don't leave new born babies unattended to make it on their own, we must provide loving care and provision for those who would otherwise fall away from faith within months if not weeks! This is the difference between those who are scorched by the sun and those who through the watering of the Word grow deeper roots.

Third, Jesus teaches that SOME PEOPLE LIVE BUSY AND DISTRACTED LIVES.

Jesus explains Mark 4:7 ("Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.") in Mark 4:18-19, "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."

Do you know what keeps a majority of the people who attend churches throughout New Castle, East-Central Indiana, the USA, and throughout the world from being laborers for the Kingdom? Busy and distracted lives!

It is so easy to pack life with so many activities and interests that there is no time left for Jesus Christ and the mission of God—laboring in the harvest field! Let's get real with one another, we need to hold one another accountable because we have allowed life to get overly complicated and busy to the point that we are distracted from the mission of our new life as disciples of Jesus Christ. There must be life on life accountability during discipleship to hold us to our new priority of the Kingdom of God. Discipleship requires obedience to the King and His Kingdom!

There is only one way to deal with weeds in our lives that will choke out the life of the seed so that all that is left is an unproductive plant. The weeds must be taken out one by one! I know that in my garden that takes focus and time bent over in an uncomfortable position. On the fourth of July, Kimberly and I spent nearly 5 hours through the morning into the heat of the day pulling weeds in and around the plants and throughout our garden. And you know what, I went back out there less than 48 hours later and there are weeds again! It is crazy and crazy making, yes, but the same diligence in our spiritual lives is necessary if we are to be productive!

If I desire for your life to reap an abundant harvest and you desire for my life to reap an abundant harvest, then we owe it to one another to constantly work the ground because underneath the surface (in all of our lives!) there are deep thorns born in sin waiting to come up and choke any abundance from your or my life.

Finally, Jesus emphasizes that SOME PEOPLE LIVE FOCUSED LIVES AS LABORERS.

Jesus explains Mark 4:8 ("Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.") in Mark 4:20, "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Jesus gives us a glimpse of what a disciple looks like—he or she is productive for the harvest! Jesus teaches that when the good seed lands in people who fully commit to the Kingdom of God—to the King and Kingdom priorities and purposes—they will fulfill the mission of God, which is the purpose of every believer—to bear fruit (John 15).

Jesus desires for you to hear and answer the call of discipleship found in Mark 1:17, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Remember that the harvest Jesus is relating to us is not one of vegetables, but a harvest of productive Kingdom men and women. Whether you prefer to be called a fisher of men or a laborer in the harvest field, the command of our work is the same! This is the end goal of discipleship: A laborer is a disciple who makes disciples—those who have committed their lives to follow Jesus Christ are continuously being formed by God's Spirit to accomplish the mission of God! We must disciple (train and equip) this person to be a laborer who goes into the harvest field.

Are you ready to go out into the harvest field and fulfill God's purpose for your life? Are you being trained and equipped to be a disciple who makes disciples?

Maybe you don't even see yourself as being a laborer yet, but you want to be one. Are you ready to commit yourself to the life of discipleship? Are you a member of a small committed group of Christians where you are learning together and living out the commandments of Jesus Christ together? Are you being held accountable by a brother/sister in Christ to obey what you are learning about the life of discipleship? Who is discipling you? Who is praying for you?

"This is really good seed!" (Mark 4:1-12)

"This is really good seed!"

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #23)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 3, 2011 ~ Happy Independence Day!

Let's jump right in to our Scripture passage today and read God's Word out loud together from the Gospel of Mark 4:1-12 (NAU): ¹ He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. ² And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, ³ "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; ⁴ as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. ⁸ Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." ⁹ And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." ¹⁰ As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. ¹¹ And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, ¹² so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."

When Jesus began His ministry in Galilee He declared, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Repent and believe are the first imperatives (commands) of Jesus' ministry and we must heed this word from our Master. It is not enough to believe; we must obey! A knowledge-based faith is not enough; Jesus Christ requires His disciples to obey what they hear and understand, and what they see and perceive.

Today, we are entering the fourth chapter and Jesus is teaching out in the open air of the Sea of Galilee. He is standing in a boat proclaiming the Kingdom of God to this very large crowd filled with a diverse group: there are disciples who believe that Jesus is the Messiah; tourist who believe Jesus is a miracle worker; busy bodies who don't want to miss the unfolding action between Jesus of Nazareth and the religious leaders; and of course, the religious leaders who are already plotting to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6) and have accused Jesus of being possessed by and in league with Satan (Mark 3:22). Jesus, knowing that such a diverse audience has flocked to Him; He begins to teach them many things in parables.

What is a parable? PARABLES ARE PICTURES!

Mark 4:1-2 states, "He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables [parabolē], and was saying to them in His teaching…"

Technically, the Greek word parabole means a comparison or simile. Jesus uses parables as pictures that point to the mystery of the Kingdom of God that start with the "here and now" to get the hearer to the "there and then".

Jesus is making connections with the people's everyday lives with a missional purpose: to reveal to them the mystery of the Kingdom of God! That is our second teaching point and it answers the question 'why is Jesus teaching with a parable?' JESUS CHRIST REVEALS THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

We know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took the greatest journey in history, from Heaven to earth, to usher in the Kingdom of God (God's reign (rule) over His people). Jesus clearly stated in His mission in Luke 19:10, "The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost." So yes, there is a very large crowd gathered to Jesus, but how many of that crowd have heard and received the mystery of the Kingdom of God? How many of these lost have actually been found?

We know that very few actually put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah; and it is impossible to receive the mystery of the Kingdom of God if you do not first put your faith in the One who came from Heaven to earth to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God--Jesus Christ.

Jesus beings the parable with two words translated "Listen to this! Behold…" (Mark 4:3a). Jesus is saying to the people, "Listen! See!"

This is significant, especially when you listen to Jesus' words immediately following the parable. Listen to Mark 4:9-12, "And He was saying, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.' [Jesus begins and ends (He bookends) this parable pleading for this large crowd to hear and perceive what He is trying to reveal. There is an unknown time lapse between verses 9 and 10, but now listen to these powerful verses that include a partial quotation from the Prince of Prophets, Isaiah 6:9-10.] As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, 'To you has been given the mystery [mystērion] of the kingdom of God, [The Greek word, mysterion, does not have the same connotation as the word mystery has for us today. The mystery of the Kingdom of God does not mean that the Kingdom is remote and hard to understand, but rather that the Kingdom is unintelligible to the person who has not received the key to unlocking the mystery. You must give your heart to Jesus Christ, and only the person who has taken Jesus as Lord and Savior can understand the Kingdom of God because only that person receives the Holy Spirit!] but those who are outside [those who have not yet surrendered their life to the Lord Jesus Christ] get everything in parables, so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."

You have to hear this quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10 with a tone of regretful love (a deep yearning desire), not with bitter exasperation. This is key to our understanding…

It is so easy for us to read this the wrong way because our love is not perfect like the love of God. Jesus came with a mission birthed in love (John 3:16) and He does not falter in fulfilling it in love. Love is God's character (1 John 4:16)! Jesus used parables not to prevent people from coming to the Kingdom of God, but to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10)! Jesus is on mission using people's everyday life experiences to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

Remember that many had shut their own eyes and ears to Jesus' person, works, and direct teaching (Mark 3:6; 3:22). In response, Jesus does not force the mysteries of the Kingdom of God on those with hardened hearts who do not have the ears to hear and eyes to perceive these truths. Jesus changed His approach—instead of direct teaching of the Kingdom and the direct manifestations of the Kingdom by declaring forgiveness of sin, healing bodies, casting out demons, and correcting the religious leaders' wrong interpretations and false loyalties. Instead, He used pictures! Jesus gives pictures which lead the hearers into the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' driving ambition is for the people to return so that they may return and be forgiven! Are you on mission? How are you connecting into people's everyday life experiences to introduce them to Jesus Christ?

For our last teaching point, let's now read and consider the main point of this first parable which I call, "The Parable of the Seed". THE WORD OF GOD IS REALLY GOOD SEED!

The parable proper is found in Mark 4:3-8, "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. [The fields in Palestine were in the form of long, narrow strips divided by little paths that were used as through ways (reference Mark 2:23).] Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. [Palestine has a narrow skin of earth over a shelf of limestone rock. Much of Galilee was like that. The soil would look good, but it was shallow.] Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. [Palestinian farmers would cut back and burn off the weeds and thorns to prepare the ground for planting, but that left the root systems in place, (especially for those pesky perennials that would come back every year). The field would look clean, but it was not below the surface.] Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Let's listen to a farmer's point of view… [Ed Bell to share agricultural teaching and testimony]

Although some of the seed never grew up (that's business as normal), the fact remains that the seed grew up into an abundant harvest (This is the main point of this parable and that is the good news of John 10:10!).

(Pick up seed that Ed plants up front) In the same way that you and I know this seed that Ed just planted will not grow up inside this church building, this agricultural community in Galilee would understand seed does not grow in every part of the field because of these varied conditions. But this crowd would have been overwhelmed by the yield of this very good seed in Palestinian soil!

The seed and its production of an abundant harvest of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold are the point of this parable! The Bible in Isaiah 55:11 proclaims of this seed, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

God is now planting this very same seed in your heart! The seed is the Word of God. The Word will accomplish what God has purposed in your life, in this community, and in His Creation. This is really good seed so trust God for the abundant harvest—it's the promise of God!

Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John 4:35b declares this promise, "Behold [There is that word again—See! Do you have eyes to see?], I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.'" Do you see and perceive?

And again in the Gospel of Luke 10:2, Jesus declares the promise of God and our role in this harvest, "And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"

Do you hear and understand?

As we respond to God's Spirit, we are going to pray the prayer of Luke 10:2. As we pray ask God to open your eyes to the harvest that is ripe in our community and beyond. As you start to see our community through the eyes of God; it is my prayer that we start seeing the community through the eyes of a laborer, and act upon what we see. Jesus has called us to repent and believe—we must act on what we know is true! To agree to what you hear and see in God's Word, but to not act on it is disobedience and hypocrisy!

Please pray with me: Almighty Father, you say that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; so we come as your body to beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into Your harvest. Would you please open our hearts to what you would have us do as Your laborers. May our response not be limited to our intellect or emotions, but in our actions for the rest of our lives! In Jesus name. Amen.