Revelation and Response: Mark 4:21-25

Order of Service

Prayer

Hymn 189

Hymn 608

Sermon

Hymn 7

Prayer

Announcements

Introduction

Somethings require a response. When a man ask a woman to marry him, a response is required. The woman must say yes or no. The Word of Jesus, concerning Himself and the Kingdom of God requires a response too. Indeed, this is the big idea of the sermon: Jesus requires a response. In the remainder of our time, I will tell you two appropriate responses to Jesus that we find in our text.

Body

1. Jesus requires a response, so herald Him: 21-23

21: It is possible that we are now back with Jesus among the crowd, with the previous section being an aside to give us clarity on the purpose of parables. Jesus ask two questions with implied responses. First, “Does a lamp come in to be put under a basket or bed?” No. Second, “Does it not come to be put upon a lampstand?” Yes. Jesus, Himself seems be represented by the lamp. He and the message concerning Him are not meant to be hidden, but revealed.

22: Yet, we saw last week that Jesus’ identity was very much hidden at this point of His earthly ministry. In fact, this is why He spoken in parables to both reveal and conceal. Both what was concealed and revealed in the parables would eventually by God’s design be fully revealed. The lamp for a time was hidden, but eventually it would be put on the lampstand.

I: JoJo has come to love hide and seek. However, she is not the most skilled hider. One time we were playing it. She would hide and I would count to five out loud. As soon as I finished my five count and said, “ready or not, here I come,” JoJo would barrel out of her hiding place and yell, hear I am!” I didn’t really ever find her because she wasn’t ever hidden. This story, which in my opinion is cute, illustrates something subtle about the point that Jesus is making. Something must first be hidden to be found. Something must first be concealed if it is going to be revealed. What is veiled in Old Testament revelation, the ministry of Christ, and His parables, would be unveiled in His death, resurrection, ascension, and will be more fully unveiled to all at His second coming.

23: The charge from verse 9 is repeated again. Whoever has an ear to listen should do it. The one who encounters Christ and hears His Word should receive it in faith even if they don’t fully understand it.

A: The Word you have received, you should impart to others. This is a straightforward application. If you have received the lamp, don’t put it under a basket or mattress. Put it on a lampstand for all to see it shine. Have you recieved Christ? If so, then put Him on display in both action and word. You are to herald Christ. Which means to share the news of Him. Tell people how God has made them for His glory. Tell them how they have fallen short of this because of sin. Tell them how God’s promised salvation of sinners has arrived in Christ Jesus, who was born, lived, and died for the forgiveness of sins and rose as a confirmation of the acceptance of His payment. Tell them how Jesus perfect life secures eternal life for them, which is demonstrated again by His resurrection. Call upon those you tell these things to respond to Jesus with faith and repentance. That is they trust in Him and turn from trust in themselves and sin.

I: Proclaim the gospel like Lauren tells me about her day when I ask. She tells me with excitement and detail pretty much every single thing she did. Similarly, we should proclaim the truth with excitement and detail.

T: From this portion of our text we learn that Jesus requires a response, so herald Him.

2. Jesus requires a response, so hear Him: 24-25

24a: Jesus follows the command to hear with a command to hear carefully. The hearer must hear the right message correctly.

24b: After the command to be careful what you hear, Jesus uses a proverbial like saying similar to “what goes around comes around.” In other words, depending on how someone responds to what they hear, will result in consequences. If one hears correctly, blessing will follow. If one hears incorrectly, judgement will follow.

25: This concept is further explained in verse 25. The “one who has” is the person who hears Him. At the time of this saying, it is the person who hears and accepts the message of the parables and the secrets hidden within them. It is the person who, who accepts the King and the Kingdom that had not yet been revealed. This person will receive blessings now and greater blessings later when the mystery is revealed. The “one who does not have” is the one who responds to Jesus and the word concerning Him wrongly. Such a wrong response is characterized with hostility, dismissal, or flippancy. Those who deny Jesus now, will only face judgment later. What blessings they experience now, will be stripped from them.

I:

A: The gospel proclaimed in and from the Scriptures is the gospel you must hear and receive. There are false gospels. Such false gospels include the gospel proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church, which suggest we may merit heaven with a mixture of faith and works. Such false gospels also include the prosperity gospel that suggest that Jesus is the means to the ends your heart desires. Jesus is the way to ease, health, and wealth. Jesus is not the means to an end. He is the end. Moreover, they promise temporal blessings to the person who gives them money. The true gospel is the one disclosed to us in the Scriptures. It is the person and work of Christ in establishing the Kingdom of God through His life, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who receive Him. It includes, also, the promise of His return and the restoration of all things.

Hear the gospel preached on the Lord’s Day week after week.

Hear the gospel as it is proclaimed in the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Hear the gospel more by meditating upon what you have heard day by day.

Hear the gospel by proclaiming it to yourself.

Hear the gospel with prayer.

Conclude

I’m immensely grateful Lauren responded to my marriage proposal with a joyful squeal and later a, yes. Like my proposal, Jesus requires a response. Such responses include, as our text shows us, heralding and hearing Him. He requires that we hear Him in faith and herald Him with faith. This text makes a similar point to the one we studied last week. The different soils were different responses to Jesus. I have called upon Christians throughout my sermon to herald and hear Jesus.

I now call upon you unbeliever, to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear how God made you for His glory. Hear how you are are sinner under condemnation and if left to yourself will face eternal judgement. Hear God has sent the Son, whom He promised to come live and die as a representative for His people. His Son Jesus who lived, died, rose, and will one day return. Hear how there is salvation and hope in no other name but Jesus. Hear and respond with faith. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The title of our message is Revelation and Response. Jesus has been revealed in history. Jesus continues to be revealed in the Scriptures. Jesus has been revealed to you this morning. How will you respond? Will you hear Him in faith? Will you herald Him with faith? Those who respond in the affirmative will receive the blessings of salvation in part now and in full later. Those who reject Him will receive judgement.

The revelation of Jesus Christ is the greatest grace God has given us. Vista Baptist Church let us hear and herald Him.