A Fruit Bearing Christian

Mark 4:21-34

If you brought your bible turn with me over to the Gospel of Mark chapter four. The gospel of Mark chapter four, and in a moment we are going to read verses 21-34 of the gospel of Mark chapter four.

 We are continuing our study in Mark’s gospel. We are going through this book verse by verse, line by line. And when we came to the fourth chapter, we came to this amazing parable, we call the parable of the sower.

Remember a parable is just an illustration from the world. It is something anyone would know and understand but it is meant to teach us a deeper spiritual truth.

And what we learned from the parable of the sower is, our ability to hear and understand the Word of God determines the growth of our spirit, and from today’s passage we are going to learn how that person, who is now growing in their faith, lives for God!!

Jesus uses four more parables, to teach us that spiritual truth!!

Mark 4:21–34 KJV

And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 4:21–34 KJV

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

Mark 4:21–34 KJV

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Mark 4:21–34 KJV

And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

(Pray)

Father, I thank you for your Word. I pray this morning your Word would become clear to us. Help us to understand it and apply it to our lives. If there are any here that are lost my God I pray you open up their ears and allow your spirit to a work in their heart. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!!

From the very beginning of Mark’s gospel, chapter one verse one He said, “this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Messiah.”

That is Mark’s thesis statement for the entire book. Everything He tells us after that point is designed to prove that fact, that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah.

He began with John the Baptist testifying in the wilderness that Jesus was the Messiah. John was the one who came to prepare the way.

Then we saw all of heaven converge at the baptism of Jesus. The Holy Spirit descended down in the form of a dove and God the Father testified from heaven, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Then we saw Jesus teaching openly in their synagogue’s with power, testifying He was the Messiah. And the miracles he performed, not only testified but, proved He was the Messiah.

Yet, the vast majority of people who witnessed this, all rejected Him. And the parable of the sower explained why. It explained that even though we all have ears, not everyone can hear.

If you are here today and you have surrendered your life to Christ, It is because you have heard the gospel message. At some point, the fact that Jesus Christ came from the Father to die on a cross for the forgiveness of your sin, so that you could spend eternity with God in heaven has had an impact on your heart.

The Word has been sown in you. It has taken root and began to grow. The question becomes what do you do with it now? Will you begin to live for God?

Will your life begin to point others to Jesus, so they too, can know Him as the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world?

 This is the application of the parable of the sower. Jesus uses these parables to teach us, four specific ways a fruit bearing Christian lives for God.

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is.

I. A Fruit Bearing Christian lives for God openly Vs. 21.

“And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? “

 Do you notice how Jesus often begins to teach by asking a question that has an obvious answer, and that is what He does here. Of course, you do not bring out a candle and put it under a basket or hide it under a bed.

But you put it on a candlestick, or on a lampstand. In other words, You hang it in the middle of the room, so that it will give light to the entire house.

Well,  Jesus is the light of the world. And He did not lite up your life, or mine with the knowledge of the Gospel and the truth of the glory of God for us to bury that light in our heart.

Jesus is meant to be put in the center of the room, so that He can give light to the world. this is an obvious reference to the fact that He is meant to be at the center of who we are. What our very life is based on, and what we are building our life on.

 You see today we have electricity. So, we put our lights in the ceiling and the walls, or by the doors.  We can put light wherever we need it. So, that we can see where ever we are in the home.

But, In a first-century Jewish home they would have an oil lamp and they would place it on a lampstand in the center of the room where it could give off the most-light. So, what Jesus is saying here is obvious. He is meant to be the very center of our life.. He is meant to be the truth we live, that is seen by the whole world!!

  In other words, the seed of God planted inside of us, is not meant to be kept in the barn, it is meant to be sown in the field. The truth of Jesus Christ is not meant to be kept in your heart it is meant to be shared with the world.

There are no undercover Christians in the church. There is no such thing as a secret service disciples. A fruit bearing Christian lives for God openly. They become the sower of the seed. Everything they do and say honors God and point others to Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” Peter is describing what a believers life is to become now that you know Jesus.

How many of you have ever played Scrabble? Scrabble is a game that involves bringing letters together to form words. And at first glance it seems like it would be an easy game to play. I mean there are only Twenty-six letters in the English alphabet. But those twenty-six letters can come together into enough words to fill an Encyclopedia Britannica.

 In the game of scrabble, you take those letters that are in no explicit order and you form words with them. The words already exist, but the letters have to be arranged so that you can make sense of the words.

I cannot help but think about how that reminds me of what it means to live a Christian life. Our life is like scrabble. Our words and our actions should come together to form a picture of Jesus and what it means to live for God!!

 If you are a Christian, you have received God’s gift to you. It already exists inside of you. The goal of living the Christian life is to arrange your lifestyle, so that it now looks like a person who has been saved by the grace of God.

That means living for God openly at home, work, or school. That means becoming the sower of the seed to your friends, your family, your co-workers.

We do that by the way we act, and the language we use. We do that by loving the people around us, and not neglecting to share your light wherever you are.

 So, the first thing we see is; a fruit bearing Christian lives for God and they do it openly. But not only do they do it openly, they also do it abundantly!!

II. A Fruit Bearing Christian Lives for God Abundantly Vs. 24-25

  “ And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.”

Jesus begins here by saying, “take heed what ye hear,” In other words, this is important. You need to pay attention, listen up to what I have to say, and not just blow this off.

 He says, “By your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” What Jesus is teaching us is, you are going to get out of this, what you put into this. If you give God a half-hearted effort, you will live a half-hearted Christian life.

There is a principle of truth that takes effect in every persons life, the measure of which a person gives themselves to know the Lord determines their reward. The commitment, the energy, the effort to which a person gives themselves to God, determines how much God is able to entrust to that person!!

That means, we are accountable to God for what God has given us. God does not give you more of Himself, until you are using what you already have.

That means you do not receive more grace until you are gracious to others. You do not receive more forgiveness until you forgive others. You do not receive more love and mercy and kindness until you showing love and mercy and kindness. We are accountable for what God has given us.

We love to quote John 10:10, “He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.” But so few Christians are living the abundant life in Christ because we do not use what we have already been given.

I mean think about it for a second. Suppose a person goes to their boss and says, I know I have been doing a terrible job for you. But the reason I do such a terrible job is because you don’t pay me enough. I need more money. If you will just give me more money, then you will really see how I can work.

     What do you think the boss is going to say? Not only is that person not going to get more money, they are going to be looking for a new job. But you see that is the way we treat God as Christians. We want to give Him our slop and ask Him for His blessings. God is looking for us to become faithful people. People He can count on.

 Living for God abundantly is living the Word of God faithfully, applying it to your life. It means, “Not forsaking the gathering of yourselves together. It means seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. It means forgiving others, just as in Christ Jesus God has forgiven you.”  All of this begins in our homes and extends out from there, to the world around us.

So, the second parable in our passage teaches us;  A Fruit bearing Christian lives for God and and they do it abundantly. But not only do they do it abundantly but they do it dependently. Look at Vs. 26-29

III. A Fruit Bearing Christian Lives for God Dependently Vs 26-29

   “And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

     Again, we go back to a parable about agriculture and sowing and reaping but what I want to hone in on is the phrase in Vs. 27, “he knoweth not how.”

In other words, the farmer plants his seed and then he trusts God for the outcome. He can not make the seed grow. Only God can do that. The farmer in this story sows, sleeps and reaps. The same thing is true in our lives as Christians.

 In 1 Cor. 3:6-7, The Apostle Paul would say, one plants, one waters, but God gives the increase. That is what Jesus is teaching us here. We are not responsible for the way people respond to the Gospel or our Christian life. We are responsible to live it out before them.

What we know is that some will receive it and some will reject it. But we are not responsible for the fruit it produces, we are responsible for the fruit to be sown.

And really, this is a picture of the Christian life. Salvation is of the Lord. If you know Christ it is because He has drawn you to Him and revealed Himself to you. This is all the work of God. There is nothing you have done.

It is because of the life Jesus lived. The death He died on the cross at Calvary and the blood He shed for your redemption. God has chosen to pour His grace out into your life.

I want you to notice the phrase in Vs. 28, “For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;” That is because God is the one doing it, and not the farmer.

The farmer plants his seed and then goes about his business. The seed germinates, springs up, and grows. It uses the sun, water, and soil. But it’s not the man that makes it grow. The man doesn’t even know how it happens.

So, living for God means trusting God and being dependent on Him. And in a real practical sense, trusting God begins with prayer in our life. Nothing shows our dependence on Him more than prayer.

I heard a story this week about a farming community where it had not rained in a long time, and things were getting desperate. The ministers called for a prayer meeting and the whole community came out and brought all their religious symbols. They brought their crosses, they brought their bibles, they brought their rosaries, and they cried out to God but still no rain.

     The next day in the town square a little boy stood there and said, “Lord, we need rain. Show us your power and give us rain.” And pretty soon the clouds got dark. The sky began to rumble, and the drops began to fall. Eventually, the rain came pouring down. The little boy opened up his umbrella and he ran home.

     What was the difference in the little boys prayer, than all the ministers and people with their religious symbols? When you trust God for rain you bring an umbrella. You do not take a cross or a bible or a rosary. You take your trust to God in prayer and you depend on Him.

A fruit bearing Christian lives for God and they do it dependently. Not only do they do it dependently, but they do it confidently, and we see that in the fourth parable of the passage.

IV. A Fruit Bearing Christian Lives for God Confidently Vs. 30-32

“And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it”

 Here Jesus is describing the way the Kingdom of God grows inside of a person!! He says, “the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.”

In other words, it starts out small. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds. It is not impressive, it is not inspiring, it is not anything special to look at. But, when it is sown something amazing happens, it becomes the greatest tree in the garden.

So, the people sowing a mustard seed had confidence in it. They didn’t care what it looked like, they sowed it anyway.

 This is the way we should approach our relationship with God. We should have confidence in what we believe, and not worry about what people think about it. Or worry about what anyone has to say about it. People who do not know Jesus, do not understand the things of Jesus.

     That is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 1:18 he says, “For the Word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “

     Living for God confidently is having an eternal perspective of life. It is to understand that no matter what happens in this world, you have an eternal home waiting for you in heaven.

Having confidence in God is a stance toward life that changes your attitude, because your confidence is no longer in a job, or finances, or people, but your confidence is in a God who is in control of all things. Living for God confidently is having a bigger vision of God, than you do of the world.

For example, David had a big vision of God when he met Goliath in the Valley of Elah. David didn’t see a giant, he said, “who is this uncircumcised Philistines who defies the armies of the living God.”

Paul had a big vision of God when he was in a Roman prison cell and wrote in Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.”

John had a big vision of God when he wrote in 1 John 4:4, “greater is He who is with in me than he who is within the world.” And as fruit bearing Christians, we can have a bigger vision of God as well.

Conclusion

Jesus uses these parables to teach us four specific ways a fruit bearing Christian lives for God.

They do it openly and an apologetically.

They put the truth of Jesus Christ on the lampstand in the very center of their life so that everyone can see. They shine their light out into the world.

 2. They do it abundantly.

You get out of your relationship with God what you put into it. The measure of God you use in your life, is the measure you receive.

 3. They do it dependently.

They live their life the way that God has called them to live, and they trust Him for the outcome. It begins with prayer. Nothing shows our dependence on God more than prayer.

 4. They do it confidently.

The seed that has been sown might be small but when it grows it becomes the greatest tree in the garden. That is a direct reference to what our relationship with God can become.

Let’s pray together,

Father,

I thank you for your Word, I thank you my God that you call us to a greater knowledge of who you are. You call us to live this Christian life beyond the four walls of the church. You call us to shine the light Jesus to the world we live in.

Father we depend on you, and with confidence we place our trust in you to continue to help us to grow and become the men and women of God you call us to be!!

In Jesus name I pray, Amen!!