How Are We Used

Welcome

‌Opening Prayer

Mark 4:35-41

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”

36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

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Apostels creed

‌I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth;

‌

I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;*

He descended to the dead

on the third day he rose again

he ascended into heaven,

is seated at the right hand the Father

and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

‌I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

How Are We Used

Have you ever asked yourself How you are used? Today we are going to look at Mark 4 and see how Jesus compares us to seeds. How such a small thing can be used for such great things. Have you ever thought about how such a tinny seed can produce so much harvest. look at our gardens our trees, not to mention how many wheat seeds come from one seed. its amazing. God can use us in so many great ways. let’s start by looking at the beginning of Mark 4:1-20

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.

2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:

3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.

8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.

11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

12 so that,“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

14 The farmer sows the word.

15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;

19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

So you see when Jesus teaches in parables he does not only have one purpose for his teaching. His teaching is to be related to your situation and applied. This part of Mark is a literal art of sowing seed although it don’t seem as efficient as today's way of planting in rows. But if we look at it there are many different way’s to apply this parable. Jesus wants us to apply it to our situation the one we are in today. as we look deeper into chapter 4 of Mark, we find in verses

Mark 4:21-24

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?

22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.

In these few verses Jesus gives us more of the parable of the lamp. We can also use this parable in so many ways that we can apply it to our life. In the first part of verse 13 Jesus ask us do we hide a lamp under a bowl or a bed? Is the light not ment to be used to take away the darkness? If we conceal something, is it not ment to be brought back to be revealed? You see these scriptures could be used in many different applications. But for me to tell you how to apply them to you today we would need to talk about where you are in your life today. What is amazing is when Jesus had this bible written it was done so it is to be utilized for where you are today. it is not ment as a one dimensional writing. This book is written for each of us for where we are today in our life. Now don’t get me wrong I do not mean we can use it to justify what we want to do. But Jesus does allow us to use the parables to fit our current situations. This is why when you read the bible at different times in your life it will speak to you differently for your your need at that time. you see in

Mark 4: 26-29

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.

27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.

28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.

29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

This section is our walk with Jesus we start out as a seed a new baby in Christ but as we are introduced to the many lessons in life Jesus presents us way’s to interpret the bible as we grow as Christians, and after many lessons and trials we become ready for harvest we all mature at different rates but when God is ready for us he will reap us and bring us home for eternity. So I challenge you to read your bible everyday learn all you can so when Jesus is ready for us we are ready. Then we will know How We Were Used.

AMEN

Doxology RNH

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