"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?
No comments:
Post a Comment