Open your Bibles to Mark 4:21-34
Sing “This Little Light of Mine”
A Lamp Under a Basket
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
- Read more about this Matthew 5 and Luke 11.
- This rhetorical question Jesus asks is meant to state the obvious.
- “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
- In those days people used oil lamps to light their homes, they would understand this concept.
- Nothing can be hidden from Jesus nor can Jesus be hidden from anyone.
- Manifest is not just a written document with specific details, in this case it means something that is clearly understood or obvious.
- Jesus is the Light of the World. He is not meant to be hidden.
- John 1:4-5, “In him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
- v.23 “If anyone has ears, let him hear.”
- Jesus has said this repeatedly, and “hear” means to “receive”.
- Pay Attention! This is important!
- v.24 “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.”
- As you hear and believe by faith, your faith will be increased.
- v.25 “For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
- The believer who by faith trusts in the Lord will receive even more of God’s grace.
- The one who does not hear the word of the Lord, does not open their heart to receive the word of the Lord, will remain forever lost.
- The longer someone refuses to accept the Lord and trust in the Lord, the harder it is later in life to do so.
- It can be done, it’s just harder.
- The one who refuses the Lord will enjoy what they have now, but it will all be taken away when they go to Hell.
- Better enjoy it now!
- Instead accept the Lord, See His light, receive His light, and shine His light…
- Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The Parable of the Seed Growing
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
- The farmer plants seed and it just grows. But how?
- The farmer didn’t really do anything but put the seed in the ground, went to sleep, and then it grew.
- The seed sprouts and grows, but not because the farmer is making it do that.
- If the farmer could make it grow, there would be no need to plant it.
- God creates just by speaking things, us, into existence.
- The farmer cannot do that.
- The harvest received is a reward from the Lord for the devotion it takes to endure growing.
- The same as we will be rewarded for our devotion to the Lord as we grow as Christians.
- The growth doesn’t happen all at once overnight.
- First the bland, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
- There is a process by which we must grow as Christians.
- We must hear the Word, trust the Word, and then receive the Word.
- This is our Salvation!
- Then when we are ripe, when we are mature, then we will be harvested.
- Either when the Lords calls us home or when He returns in the End of Days.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
- The smallest seed, a mustard seed.
- Grows into a big tree able to house the birds of the air.
- When we plant a seed, much like the challenge my wife put before you to help share and spread the Gospel, that seed has a chance to grow into a Kingdom promise.
- Little more than a year ago I preached a sermon called “Big Faith”.
- We passed out mustard seeds to give you perspective.
- We must understand that if the Lord wanted to come back now and end it all He could.
- But Jesus is patiently waiting for as many as possible who would believe in Him.
- Jesus doesn’t want anyone left behind.
- We must believe by faith that Jesus is Lord!
- We must believe the Word, trust the Word, and receive the Word.
- Then we will begin to understand more as Jesus reveals Himself to us just as He did with His disciples.
