Untitled Sermon (4)

Center on Jesus "be with Him" and Saturate their world "send them out"

13 And He *went up on the mountain and *bsummoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.

14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,

15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 3:13–15). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

First thing Jesus allowed His disciples to see was persecution!

This seems significant for the disciples to learn by experience!

How did the disciples understand the 'will of God' in v. 35? Chapter 4 seems to be key and is tied into

“For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 3:35). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Jesus gives more light/understanding to those who receive the light (cf ) and withholds light/understanding from those who do not.

Why is this so? Because God is gracious and does not want people to incur more judgement/wrath upon themselves than they already have. To give people more light when they have not received the light they have been given would cause more judgement to come upon them.

12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:12). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

We are to be about sowing seeds. Know most will not receive AND reproduce because of distractions and pressures.

We also should strive for ourselves to be the fourth soil. For those who have received the seed - we can change our soil content through obedience, being centered on Jesus to care for our distractions and pressure so we can be about our Father's business of reproduction.

We are lights to be shinning, not muted or covered up! They (we) were called to be with Jesus and to be sent out (to be lights).

21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:21). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

We must listen and receive Jesus' teaching (vs 23). We must believe Jesus and let our minds be filled with Him (Phil. 4:xx).

If you listen to the pressures and distractions of life to draw you away from Jesus' truth, you will fail at reproducing. This measure of what you believe or listen to is what you will receive - and more of what you listen to and receive will be given you. You can increase your soil content by trusting Jesus with your pressures and distractions (we all have them). When you do this, you will be fruitful (fourth soil). When you listen/believe to the distractions and pressures and trust yourself to muscle through them, you will remain unfruitful (vs 24). When you trust Jesus with distractions and pressures, more fruitfulness will be given to you. If you do not trust Jesus, even the joy you received at salvation will be snatched away until you turn to Him and trust (vs 25).

23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. aBy your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.

25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:23–25). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

This farmer surely had distractions and pressures as all people/farmers do -

Trusting the seed in good fertile soil (those who trust Jesus for their distractions and pressures) will find fruitfulness and reproduction in their lives. We must be about SATURATING the fields (people) with seed of truth - let God grow them/us - then when it is time, harvest the truth we have been living or harvest the souls of the people we have been sowing. We must trust the seed (God's Word) in the soil.

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;

27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know.

28 “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

29 “But when the crop permits, he immediately aputs in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:26–29). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

33-34Tie this back to 4:12 more light is not given to those who are not able to hear it.

33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;

34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:33–34). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Good seed in good soil (obedience) grows large (generational - 30, 60, 100) and offers comfort, peace and protection (vs 32).

30 And He said, “How shall we bpicture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?

31 “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,

32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:30–32). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Another lesson begins on Centering and Saturating

35 On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mk 4:35). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.