Planted For A Purpose

Intro

Last week - soil preparation

This week - Focusing on the produce

Story of William Wilberforce

early life self-serving, hedonist

Entered Parliament with this disposition

Transformed by meeting and befriending Thomas Clarkson, a devout Christian and early anti-slavery leader

Wilberforce took up the devotion and made a repentant move, disavowing his hedonism.

Realizing he could not engage the love of Christ and hide from the world: "My walk is a public one," he wrote in his diary. "My business is in the world, and I must mix in the assemblies of men or quit the post which Providence seems to have assigned me."

And how would he be able to show God’s love? By taking up the mantel of Clarkson’s passion - affecting abolition of slavery.

He began introducing bills to curtain or eradicate slavery in 1789 - failed

No less than 8 additional legislative attempts of end the practice over 16 years. All failed. But he wouldn’t quit!

Despite mockery, opposition, and financial and political mountains to climb, his determination finally resulted in the shifting of opinion and a bill that outlawed selling slaves in 1807.

There are three things exemplified in Wilberforce’s life that echo the truth found in our passage today.

pray

Mark 4:21–34 NLT

21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” 26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.” 30 Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, 32 but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.” 33 Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. 34 In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

We have a continuation of Jesus’ last parable - the parable of the dirt. Or the Parable of the Sower. There we learned three ways to ignore or rebel from God, and one way to follow and produce.

There we looked at how to have a prepared heart that was able to produce.

Today we look at the process and produce of the growth.

A Light in the Darkness

Commentary on the parables, and on the application of the parables.

This Little Light of Mine

Hidden lamp: If it’s lit, we don’t hide it! Anyone have a flashlight in the glove box? It would be silly to turn it on then put it in the glove box. When you actually needed it, it would be dead!

Jesus takes this obvious example of what is made for the purpose of illuminating, and applies it to something not so obvious…

What’s the Hidden lamp?

The Messiah who was to come? Then revealed in Jesus

Jesus? Revealed after His resurrection

The Kingdom of God? Revealed through His church then at the final judgement

These are all so related, that you could hardly determine one and exclude another.

Each points not only to the plan of God’s redeeming the world, but His working and fulfilling that plan.

Will you let it shine?

That plan is as much in the works IN us as it is in the works THROUGH us. As we are the light of the world as Jesus states in Matthew 5:14

Matthew 5:14 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

it is only as that light has illuminated our lives by the light of Jesus’ ministry - John 8:12

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Nothing is hidden

Jesus addresses the scope of the transforming power of the light. We all have lights in our homes. Sometimes they are turned on, sometimes they are turned off. We don’t leave them on when we are sleeping, or when it’s bright outside, or when we aren’t in the room… unless your a teenager! For our purpose, light has a time and a place - to reveal somethings and keep others hidden… like that one closet that has all the stuff that doesn’t have a real place to go.

The light of the gospel has another purpose, and another power. “Nothing is hidden” The Light of God does not serve the darkness, but overpowers it.

Even as believers, there are many things we would like to keep secret. A thought of anger here, selfishness there. Pride, indifference to suffering, lust… The list goes on. But light will shine.

Light will shine by conviction of the Holy Spirit.

As we become aware of our sin and how it separates us from God, and when we first accept Christ as our savior.

Or as a maturing (or discipling) believer who begins to realize the extent of sin in our lives, we let that light make known the things hidden in the dark places.

We tend to have a comfort limit of what God can change. There are things hidden in our lives that hurt, or are the result of past hurts. We are afraid, or unwilling to let healing light of the gospel into those places. Why?

Has He not proven Himself trustworthy of healing your brokenness? Is He not saving you for His good purpose? Does He not love you more than any earthly father? It is far better to let God shine in and heal what is broken that to try and hid it.

The dark things will come to light.

Light will shine by the wages of sin.

The wages of sin is death. A spiritual, eternal death. But the death wage of sin is paid out in part now, just as the inheritance of our heavenly birthright is paid out in part now.

When we hid or hold onto the secret things we keep in dark places in our lives, our efforts are not nearly as effective as we imagine! That darkness is made manifest in the way that sin - secret in it’s details but public in it’s effect - soils our relationships with other people.

You wouldn’t bake a cake then pour salt all over it. But thinking we are hiding sin is like replacing the sugar in the cake recipe with salt and thinking nobody will notice. Just because it’s not obvious doesn’t mean it’s not evident.

Light will shine by the final judgement.

Ultimately, all things are revealed in a final judgement by God. In God’s kingdom, all things are illuminated by the presence and the glory of God. For those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and forgiver of their sins, they will be separated from God forever in eternal punishment. But those who’s sins are forgiven and cover by Jesus’ taking our death sentence on our behalf - we will have nothing to hide.

God’s word, His presence, His ministry, and His Kingdom are a light and a seed. Planted and shining in the world and in the lives of those who believe. Next Jesus gives us application to how this works.

Growing In Secret

The Parable of the Seed Growing

English Standard Version Chapter 4

26 And he said, c“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; dhe knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once ehe puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Sierra Baptist Association Pastor Prayer 5/2/22

The Kingdom is:

Expectant

God scatters seed in our lives. Some takes root. But the results are not instant. God is patient with us. So, we must be patient with each other, and with ourselves.

Routine

It’s in the every day interactions God grows His truth in us. The farmer is awake and working, or sleeping at night, yet the seed grows. God’s word is active and living.

We need the times of tilling and planting - That’s personal devotion time, gathering together for corporate worship and Bible study. But the seed continues to do it’s work in the mundane and ordinary tasks of everyday life.

Mysterious

The farmer doesn’t know how the seed grows. And we don’t see how the Word of God is transforming us sometimes.

I’ve got a puppy at home. When I’m home every day, I don’t see her growing. But when I’m gone for a week, the growth is obvious.

As the farmer must trust the planting, watering, waiting, so we must trust that process of seeking Him. Of minding our soil as we discussed last week. God provides the increase, regardless of our seeing it or understanding it.

Urgent

A forth observation about this parable is the element of urgency. “When the grain is ripe”. God plants, and grows, and develops our lives for a purpose. There is a time for nurturing that development. But that is useless if there is not a purpose to it. There comes a time all that effort results in a harvest. Have a sense of urgency about those things that God has prepared in your life.

When faced with the destruction of her people, we read about Esthers uncertainty of action. Her Uncle, Mordecai, reminded her that God had placed her in a position to be able to act for such a time as this.

Is there a situation in your life that the time has come to act as God’s representative? Has the time come for urgency?

Fully Grown...

Maybe, like Esther, you feel insufficient for the task it seems God has assigned you. I hope so! If you were able, what glory of God will it show?

When we are seeking God, and submitting to God, and obedient to what He has called us to do, He is establishing a small part of His Kingdom in your life.

We are certainly unable to please God with our own efforts. But, that small seed planted in our lives transforms us into the likeness of Christ. We were created in the image of God - we are supposed to be His image-bearers. But the rebelion of sin corrupted that image.

It’s not like an errant mark on an otherwise beautiful painting or a single part broken from a sculpture. It’s like a computer file; once corrupted, ALL the information is lost. The Gospel begins rewriting our file.

Re-Created Image

The Kingdom of God grows and transforms our lives. As it does, it prepares us to participate in God’s work in this world.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are not only created by God to be His image bearers, we are re-created in christ to establish that image again. God redeems.

We are called to be available to God, letting the light of His Word and truth permeate us, allowing the goodness of God’s word to prepare us and transform us, that we might reflect and cary this restored image of God’s Kingdom to the world.

This is the time we have been given. This time in our lives. This time in history. This time and this place in Reno, NV.

We have been given the opportunity to shine. Will you take it?

Pray