Overflow and Abundance (3)
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I was going through my morning devotions in Romans and ended up in Mark 4 where we will be today. AS I followed the bunny trail, mainly because you find cool things you never intended to see on the bunny trail, I found that there are 3 places where we reap abundance in the bible.
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.
When reading this what caught my attention was the still more will be added to you.
The Judgement of other in Matthew 7- The measure of judgement you use will be used against you.
Forgiveness Luke 6 The measure you use will beused against you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
And Mark 4:21-22
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.
So this is one of those areas where context is king.
In mark 4 you have the parable of sower where Jesus explains things about how his word is received, the way the word is stolen by the devil from those who receive it and then comes into the lamp. Ends with how to grow a seed and the mustard seed of faith.
the Jewish people considered the Torah, God’s word, to be a lamp that gives light to people so that they could increase in understanding of who God is and therefore who they are.
So in essence Jesus is saying you don’t take God’s word and hide it. YOu don’t leave it on your nightstand, shoved in a drawer, on a bookshelf to collect dust ETC.
Then we makes this beautiful statement that if taken out of context will scare people who have skeletons in their closet. For nothing is hidden except to make manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
What Jesus is telling people, after really telling people why he speaks in parables is that if you take the time to think through, process, and discover what JEsus meant in the parables, on God’s word then the promise is that your work will be fruitful—God will show himself to you.
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit- wants to be known.
They want you to dig into them. Really in our world they are the girl who plays hard to get. The question she really wants answered is am I worth working for? Am I worth the time it takes to get to know me as I hide pieces of me for you to work and find?
The difference isn’t that God isn’t looking for you to see if he is valuable enough—because he knows His worth—he also knows yours. He wants you to dig so that you will have joy in what you find.
21 He also gave them this parable: “No one lights a lamp only to place it under a basket or under the bed. It is meant to be placed on a lampstand.
22 For there is nothing that is hidden that won’t be disclosed, and there is no secret that won’t be brought out into the light!
23 If you understand what I’m saying, you need to respond!”
24 Then he said to them, “Be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything you hear, for as you do, more understanding will be given to you. And according to the depth of your longing to understand, much more will be added to you.
25 For those who listen with open hearts will receive more revelation. But those who don’t listen with open hearts will lose what little they think they have!”
If you understand that I want to reveal myself to you the only acceptable response is to respond. Is to dig. Is to follow the Bunny trails and find out new things you didn’t know. And what the promises is: If you do the time you spent won’t just be prosperous, but rather it’ll pay you more than what you lost. Jesus won’t just reveal what you were looking for He will show you other, deeper, things along the way. Things you don’t even have questions to ask for yet.
To the extent you are willing to work He will show you himself in abundance. The result of this knowledge results in the closing parable—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.”
We have to remember that these were teachings, and that the headings and numbers weren’t there when Jesus taught these things. Many times we see these as individual thoughts, but in reality it’s a whole teaching that connects.
The Kingdom of God is where God reigns
We when we receive the Lordship of Jesus Christ we are welcomed out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God.
Philippines 3:20 states that we are citizens of Heaven. We are in God’s Kingdom.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
How do we seek out God’s Kingdom-through the scriptures. So this kingdom is like mustard seed, when planted, grows.
The Word of God when planted grows.
Jesus even said it grows us—How do we grow- through knowledge and obedience to the Word of God.
The seed in the parable of the seed growing is the word of God.
The whole idea is this:
Jesus wants to be known and He will reward anyone abundantly with the knowledge you seek when you seek Him. Which culminates to this warning
Mark 4:25 (ESV)
25 … and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Because what should grow us deeperin God can harden are hearts and turn us away from God if neglected.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
You are either drawing close to the Kingdom of God or fading away into lawlessness. There is no in between.
We succeed when and draw close to God
When we receive the entirety of scripture—even the hard and hard to understand parts.
WE follow through on the convictions that the word brings to our hearts
we deal with demonic strongholds and sin in our lives
We truely repent-change our mind about sin completely
We accept Christ as Savior, but transition Christ to Lord.
