Responsibility with the Word
A detailed Account - Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:45
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Handout
Handout
Parables
Parables
Defined: “to cast along side” An earthly story with a heavenly application.
In some 40 plus parables, taking up about 1/3 of Jesus teaching, it was to give instruction to those who had ears to hear in preparation for kingdom living.
A parable uses something common, well known and and paints a picture for a spiritual learning and application.
(Transition) Today we are looking at this parable, these instructions giving that show the responsibility of the hearer to apply what they hear and learn. We are responsible for God’s word, what we do with it matters.
Our study passage
Our study passage
16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
18 “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” 19 And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.
20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
What do you notice in this passage?
What do you not do with a lamp, and why (v.16)?
You do not cover it
You want it to be light to all who man come in may see.
What is the spiritual truth you see in (v.17)?
Nothing will be hidden, everything will come to light.
What instruction, warning, does Jesus give (v.18)?
Take care how you listen!
According to (vv.19-20), who is mother, and brothers?
The one who hear the Word of God and do it.
(Transition) I think you can see this passage rolls right along after we have seen in the parable of the sower (seeds) we looked at last week. That the seed is the word.
11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
So, now may we get into our verses and pull, learn from them this morning.
Hear, believe, be responsible
Hear, believe, be responsible
16 “People do not light a lamp and cover it with a bowl or put it under a bed. Instead, they put it on the lamp-stand, so that people will see the light as they come in. 17 “Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be found and brought to light.
“Those who receive the word are responsible to expose and publish the truth —that is, the word of God.” - Guzik
The parable paints a picture that we are called then to look in the mirror at ourselves to see what we do with the word personally. It is no wonder that some got mad about this, that some wanted to kill Him, they did not want to look in the mirror and do something. If we come to the mirror and see we are a sinner because the word convicts us, then we are in the right place to accept God’s grace.
To benefit from the parable one must be honest, and come with humility on our part. Something many miss.
Jesus own words tell man they are to do something with what they have. Man has the lamp (word) and need to bring it forth.
The word is a light, a lamp (Ps119:105)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
The word is truth (Ps119:160)
160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
Truth is meant to be revealed, God promised nothing would be hidden, this is not just that your sin will be found out, but that His word, truth, would be totally revealed.
Those with the light (word) may enter into the truth, believe it!
If you are a truth bearer you have a responsibility, a solemn responsibility to spread the truth in whatever way God gives for you to do it.
What are some whatever ways you can spread the truth?
McClintock: “One must either spread the word itself or spread the influence of God’s word by bringing others to a place where they will hear it. It’s best to do both.”
(Transition) so the light of the word is to be displayed and spoken to bring others into the truth as we walk in the truth of the word. We accept responsibility for it and now this leads us to accountability.
One more comment before moving on. Wiersbe says:
“It is a serious thing to hear and understand the Word of God, because this puts on us the obligation to share that Word with others. Everyone who receives the seed then becomes a sower, a light-bearer, and a transmitter of God’s truth (consider 1The1:5-8)
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
Those with the word are accountable to it and for it.
Those with the word are accountable to it and for it.
18 “Be careful, then, how you listen; because those who have something will be given more, but those who have nothing will have taken away from them even the little they think they have.”
It is good to be a hearer of the word, for hearing brings faith (ref: Rom10:17)
It is good to hear, and to heed, so be careful how you listen so you heed properly.
Do we come with our hearts prepared to receive from God from his word when we open, read, study the bible?
Do we take what we read, study and learn to apply?
May we prepare daily to receive from God’s word, may we cultivate the soil so it can take root and be nourished daily.
Spurgeon in a sermon entitled “Heedful Hearing” gave these heedful ways to hear the word of God.
Hear attentively, retentively.
Hear believingly, obediently.
Hear candidly, honestly.
Hear devoutly, sincerely
Hear earnestly, spiritually.
Hear feelingly, sensitively.
Hear gratefully, prayerfully.
Think about this for a couple of minutes
The more you do those things, the more you will want the word, receive the word with gladness, and will be nourished from it more and more. More will be given, more desire, my understanding, more growth, more application, more to build on in your walk with God.
On the other hand those who think they have but are spiritually dull like Jesus points to the Pharisees at times and you can see this with church at Laodicea (Ref: Rev3:14-22) who thought they had everything, but were spiritually bankrupt, poor. The word will have no effect on them.
The church at Laodicea thought they were rich, wealthy and in need of nothing, but they did not know they were actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Hearing and obeying
Hearing and obeying
19 Jesus’ mother and brothers came to him, but were unable to join him because of the crowd. 20 Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”
21 Jesus said to them all, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Jesus blood family shows up; but have no access to Him, but those who hear and apply the word do.
You would think that your mom, brothers would have unlimited access, but they do not.
We can know also that there was unbelief in His family until after the resurrection (Mk3:21)
21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”
Something else we are shown here is that Jesus did have brothers (he had sisters too, just not noted here. (look at Mt13:55-56)
55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
This is proof that is counter to the believe of perpetual virginity of Mary as some proclaim.
Carson says this on this passage:
“The most natural way to understand ‘brothers’ is that the term refers to sons of Mary and Joseph and thus to brothers of Jesus on his mother’s side. Efforts to make brothers mean something else are ‘nothing less than farfetched exegesis in support of a dogma that originated much later than the New Testament.”
Jesus statement shows that the closest family is made of of those who hear and obey God’s word.
To draw close to Jesus is by hearing and obeying the word. This brings you into a closer relationship with Him.
The last two weeks we have seen the word, the planting of the word, the cultivating of the word, the responsibility of the sowers of the word. That we have the responsibility to receive the word and to share the word.
We are to be doers of the word (Jm1:22-25); We need to receive the word and take heed to it. We need to be careful how we hear (8:18) because God holds us accountable.
So be faithful to receive the word by faith, and share the word by faith for when you do, God will give you more, but if you fail to let your light shine, you will lose what you have. It is a solemn thing to hear the word of God.
So to close
Be receptive
Be responsible
Be applying
Be sharing
And, you will be blessed!