ACS(I) - CF - How would you respond? 210201
Notes
Transcript
Hi everyone,
thank you for having me here with you this afternoon, and thank you for the chance to share God’s word with you this afternoon...
and for the new Yr 5s, I just want to thank you for joining us and say that it’s so nice to see you all here this afternoon...
In case you don’t know, I’m pretty new here as well, having just joined about a month ago, so you’re in good company...
anyway, this afternoon, i thought we do a little reflection from a rather familiar passage,
the book of Mark 4:1-9
let us now listen to the word of the Lord
1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
This is the word of the Lord, Pray
In this story we just read, we hear that Jesus was out in the sea (presumably the Sea of Galilee), sitting on a boat, teaching...
and what was he teaching?
we know that it was a series of parables...
but what’s the use of a parable?
according to the Dictionary of New Testament Backgound, Parables are “short fictitious stories that illustrate a moral attitude or religious principle”
and at the end of the day, they are not just to give you some information, and that’s that...
the information, or narratives, or stories that are shared are meant to bring to bear certain truths, and those who hear it, are supposed to internalise it, and let it shape our thoughts, actions and attitude...
but i must warn you though...
and that is parables have their limitations, which is the same as analogy…
and because they are not exactly what they represent, we cannot take the illustrations in the parable and read beyond what it doesn’t say...
i mean, by way of illustration, it would be silly to try to use a picture of a handphone and try to make a phone call...
but nevertheless, they do contain some truths, which are useful for our edification and our understanding...
so let us learn and uncover some truths form today’s passage...
and i suppose the first thing that we can gleam from today’s passage is that the seeds didn’t have a choice where they landed...
you realise that when the sower sowed,
some seeds fell along the path, some fell on rocky ground, some fell among thorns and some fell on good soil...
even though they came from the same sower...
and i think the first thing that we can learn from today’s lesson is this...
we are all different and we are all come from different circumstances… and we have no choice over where we came from, but we all belong to the same God...
and i think that it is important for us firstly to remember the fact that no matter how different we are...
how different our background is...
whatever school you came from earlier, which church you worship in, what your hobbies are, we are all united in our faith as well as the fact that our Lord has placed us here...
I don’t know about your specific background and where you are in terms of your spiritual walk with God, but I’m sure glad you’re here in ACS(I) and I’m sure glad you’ve decided to join us in the Christian Fellowship here, where we can support one another and just hang on one another, listen to each others’ stories, share one another’s struggles and celebrating each others’ successes… and perhaps just to hang out with one another, hopefully making life-long relationships that will help each other navigate through life together...
and all these is made possible because of our unity in Christ,
we all came from the same sower...
and just as it is every intention of the sower for every seed that was sown to flourish and grow, it is every intention of our Lord, for us here to grow and flourish as a group, united in Him....
so remember, that we are all of the same sower, and we are here together...
<Pause>
And for the second point, i take our reflection from the seeds that fell on rocky ground...
and what happened to it?
it says here in v5 that it sprung up quickly...
sounds great right?
but what happened?
because it had no depth of soil, the sun rose and it was scorched...
and because it had no roots, it withered away...
So, my second point is this...
don’t go for the instant results, go for things that will will last....
and I’m sure you’ve heard of the Chinese Bamboo plant...
it is one of the most useful tree in China, and it is used for anything from building houses and fences, making bridges, river rafts, chopsticks, hats, brooms etc...
but one interesting fact is that for the first 4 years, the Chinese Bamboo tree stays dormant underground, and doesn’t even peep outside the surface...
but in the 5th year, it can grow at an astonishing rate, and was noted to be able to grow 30m within 5 weeks… 30m! that’s 10 stories...
So for the bamboo, for the first 4 years, you would need to exercise lots of patience and faith, watering and fertilising the ground, even though you don’t see anything, expecting and hoping that something will eventually happen… and eventually when it does, something astonishing happens...
such is the same for our faith...
we need lots of time reading and meditating upon God’s words, praying to him, being faithful in the little things, journaling and sometimes, it can get quite demoralising, because you see nothing...
but don’t give up...
you will eventually see the fruits one day...
Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6.11-12 to “fight the good fight… and hold on to eternal life...”
and Matthew 24.13 tells us
13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
hold on… don’t go for quick solutions..
don’t go for things that spring up quickly...
grow your roots… take time and persevere....
and know this… you’re not alone in this fight together...
besides your fellow CFers, you have us, Mdm Yeong, and the other Christian Ministry Staff as well as the Chaplains… we are all there to help you on this spiritual journey...
and to resist the temptations to go for quick fixes and short cuts...
quick fixes and short cuts that may give you instant gratifications and ‘success’ but eventually be detrimental to you...
don’t go for quick fixes… don’t go for instant results… don’t be like the seeds that want to springs up quickly…
be transplanted to the soil that is deep and well watered, grow deep roots that will stand the test of time… and the scorching heat that may come....
and the third lesson we can learn from today’s passage is from the seeds that grew among the thorns...
In verse 18, it was explained to us that they are the people that allowed the care of the world to enter and choke them...
and the truth is this...
IB is tough… it is hard work and you will be challenged...
and when the going gets tough, you may feel that you want to cut down on things that matter less…
things that peripheral so that you can concentrate on the more important things, such as your studies...
but friends, don’t make that kind of fatal mistake...
would you want to be like the kite that wants to cut off the string that it is tied to so that it can fly higher?
it would surely come tumbling down right...
it is the very thing that is probing it up and enabling it to fly....
it’s like a fetus in the womb, wanting to cut the umbilical cord…
don’t give up your fellowship with one another....
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
when you feel the world pressing in, when you feel the pressures of the world coming to you, when you feel the time pressure of needing to hand up all the assignments, that’s when you need each other most...
that’s when you need God most...
don’t allow the world to choke you out...
allow your fellow CFers to choke out the world...
and my final point is taken from the last type of seed...
the ones that yielded 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold...
and from here, I have two things to share...
the first is this...
the soil and the type of seeds were described collectively as good...
Jesus didn’t say that the 30-fold seeds was good, the 60-fold seed was gooder,
and the 100-fold seed was goodest...
they were all good..
and the point is this, remember i said that we are all here together, and there should be unity...
don’t ever compare with one another and develop some sort of jealousy when someone else does better than you, or develop some sort of inferiority complex when someone is better at something than you...
likewise, if you’re doing something better than someone else, don’t ever be proud...
they are all good… you are all good...
don’t fall into the trap of the evil one and have divisions among you...
embrace and celebrate each others’ success...
never never never let jealousy come in tear you guys apart and create rife among each other...
don’t ever let the evil one come and let yourself be consumed by jealousy...
you are all equally precious in the eyes of the Lord...
and the second point from the last seed is something that is not so obvious...
and that is this...
according to commentators,
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 4
fivefold to fifteenfold, with a tenfold return considered a good crop
so here, when we talk about 30-fold, 60-fold and 100-fold,
it is thought to be an extraordinary return, and a miraculous return...
in other words, inherent here, is that it is something that is only through the intervention of God...
and the message is this...
no matter where you are, what you are doing, God is with you...
you may not encounter the success in the natural and world sense of the word, but trust the Lord to make your path straight and allow you to overcome whatever situation you come across...
as long as you are like the good soil, preparing yourself, spending time with God, listening to His word, yielding to his every will… being obedient to His leading, and depending on each other as CFers to spur one another, and collectively overcoming whatever obstacles in your lives...
so CFers,
remember that you are all fellow brothers- and sisters-in-Christ… embrace the unity with each other through God...
don’t take the short-cuts, but take time to dwell in the Lord every day of your life… and inculcate the deep relationship with Him...
lean on each other, especially when the world seems to be choking you… and remember we are here too...
never let the Evil One sow discord among you… and
Remember that God is here with you.... Amen