Parables to live by Part 2

Introduction

If you were not here last Sunday we took the time to briefly work our way through the beginning of Mark 4 on the parable of the sower.

If you remember, this was a parable delivered to the mass crowds and then further explained to the disciples.

This next section of the chapter was directed not for the masses, but for the few, specifically the disciples.

The next section in this chapter deals with three parables that are directed to the disciples. It is once again going deeper in the parables and advancing the knowledge of His followers and hopefully your knowledge as we as we all walk on our road of being a follower of Christ.

They are as one person states it,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark (The Manifest Truth)

..... the singular truth about the growth of the kingdom of God, Jesus tells His disciples three other parables that add meaning to the universal principles of the kingdom of God that He presents in the Parable of the Sower.

In other words,

Jesus describes how the Kingdom and his Word are related and how it will be working in all situations and applies that same working in the lives of the followers.

He is continuing in His thought of growth of the seed. It will grow in our lives today.

Have you ever sat back and looked over your life and tracked your personal growth in the knowledge and faith as you walk as believers?

Has their been moments of spikes of spiritual growth and other times where it has been slow moving like that of a glacier?

What circumstances have been in both of these cases that would make you assess one way or the other.

One of great growth times in my life was in my early 20’s when I was a part of a discipleship group to help us in our spiritual growth as believers.

I was a single young man placed in a group of couples with children. Socially, I wasn’t a fit for this group, but spiritually it was a perfect match. It was a time of great growth as we challenged each other in our walk and growth with God. It was a great time in seeing me grown in the knowledge of God and to be strengthened.

What about you? Are you a part of anything that is helping you grow in walk with God?

This morning’s passage is going to show us, through the parables given by Jesus to His disciples, ways in which the Kingdom of God grows in our lives.

These parable are of eternal significance. They were given to the disciples and they are given for us today and for those around us in which we model the life of Christ in our lives.

They are parables you as a follower need to understand.

They been titles the parable of the lamp

The Parable of the Seed growing

and finally the parable of the mustard seed.

Let’s open up God’s Word and read the first parable.

I will be reading from Mark 4:21-25

Mark 4:21–25 ESV

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Let’s Pray

God’s Truth will be made known

One thing is for certain. God’s Truth will be made known.

This is a parable of how the Word of God will be made known in the lives of His people. How the Word is illuminated to us.

As I have been working on my basement and having removed all the light fixtures from my ceiling, this example means a whole lot to me right now.

A lamp has a purpose.

Mark’s rendition of this parable varies slightly different from the other two gospels in that there is no reference for the actual lighting of the lamp.

All three gospels had a lamp as the focal part of the parable but the lighting of the lamp is omitted in Mark’s writing.

Scholars have pointed out that the reference of the lighting in Mark’s writing shows that the purpose of the lamp is important and not that it needs to be lit.

It is an allegory parable showing that Christ is the lamp. He doesn’t need to be lit, but has always been. Right from the beginning.

John 1:1 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Mark wants his readers to know three things when he wrote out these words.

He wants us to know that in the parable that Christ is the light of the world, that Christ is the Revelation of the light, and that this light will bring to light the judgement.

In verse 21 we are given illogical arguments of the purpose of a lamp.

It is used to be a light and not to be hidden or used for another purpose.

When I was younger, in fact a child, my younger sister and I found a different purpose for a lamp.

We thought it was good for a heat source.

One cold wintery day, we took the lamp, placed it under the covers on the bed and then jumped into the bed to stay warm.

We found out quickly that keeping the lamp under the blankets with us was too hot so we removed it, but found the heat left quickly.

We were children and thought if we leave it under for longer, the blankets would be warmer, and we could come back and be under warm blankets. So we put the lamp under the blankets and went into the other room to wait for the warmth and began watching TV.

I should have a disclaimer right now, Folks don’t try this at home.

I can tell you that it worked. The bed became very warm, in fact, you guessed it, it caught on fire.

You see a lamp, especially in the day was the source of all light for the household.

He is the Light of the World

Jesus was telling the people in this parable that He is coming and He is the light of the World

The mystery of the Gospel was and is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

There are many people in this world today looking for answers and we have the answer to their questions.

As I said last week our job is to cast the seed, to sow.

To share God’s Word with others around us. To tell the story of Christ’s life saving work in our lives so that Others can see Christ.

One person stated,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark The Manifest Truth

The truth to be taught is that all other lights which shine upon truth—natural revelation, reason, intuition, experience—are dim reflections from the brilliance of the Son of God.

All truth must be brought in comparison to this light.

Are you searching for truth? What about what you are reading.

Just because a book is on the best seller’s list, doesn’t mean that it is God’s truth, even if the author has claimed to be a Christian.

All truth must be brought under the light of God’s Word and compared with the truth found in scripture.

He is the light of the Revelation

He also is the light of the revelation.

If you were going to the store to plan to purchase lamps and light fixtures for you remodeled room, would you plan to buy these and leave them in the box in the garage.

When Jesus was speaking this parable, he was announcing the coming of His Kingdom.

Although we are looking back to the time Christ conquered death and rose from the grave, there still is coming a day when He will return in full Glory to usher in His Kingdom.

All the God had reveled to Us through His Word will one day shine forth.

It wasn’t created to be hidden, it was created to be under something, It was created to bring forth Light.

Spiritual Light.

He is the light of Judgement

There is a third thing about light. It brings to our awareness of the wrong in our lives.

Without light in our lives, there are things that can easily be missed.

Are you looking to Scripture and listening to God speak to you when you have done something wrong?

How do you respond to the urging from the Spirit to change that item in your life?

There is a reminder in this parable, something that all of us should be careful to follow.

Jesus said that with the measure we use the measure will be used us in the end.

Do you follow that Spirit and listen or do you hear, but ignore counting it as trivial or small.

There is a warning in this verse that accountability used now is far greater reward in the end.

put this way,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark The Manifest Truth

As in the Parable of the Sower, those who receive the seed under conditions that bring it to full growth reap the benefits of a multiple harvest, but those who reject the seed or lack the qualities to bring it to maturity lose all the value of the truth.

let’s move onto the next parable

Mark 4:26–29 ESV

26 And he said, “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; he 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 he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Our Growth is a wonder to watch

Our spiritual growth is a wonder to watch.

Have you been in a situation that you can’t imagine how you are going to make it through the struggle and in the end, you look back and see the strength God had given you to be able to walk through that journey.

It’s a wonder to watch.

The wonder of it all

One of my dad’s favourite songs is this

There's the wonder of sunset at evening The wonder as sunrise I see But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul Is the wonder that God loves me

There's the wonder of springtime and harvest The sky the stars the sun But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul Is a wonder that's only begun

O the wonder of it all the wonder of it all Just to think that God loves me O the wonder of it all the wonder of it all Just to think that God loves me

The other day, a good friend called me to share some difficult family news. He wanted to share the true story before he knew the story train would make its way to me.

It will be a hard road that their family will be walking through, but I left him with a thought like these words.

Life is messy, but with following God you will have a front row seat to experience God’s grace in your lives.

His family will be experiencing a tremendously difficult road that cannot be handled without God working through it.

This parable of the seed growing makes us aware of God working in our lives. It helps us with knowledge that God is working, who is really in control and the speed of God’s working

Knowledge

First the knowledge.

I have heard it stated this way

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark (The Mysterious Growth)

The mystery of knowledge. Forces of life and growth continue to elude man’s knowledge. Who can explain the life in a seed that grows and multiplies? How could the essence of life lay dormant for 4,000 years in the seeds found in an Egyptian tomb and still spring to full growth when planted? The mystery of life is the issue of the centuries. Scientific advancement only adds to the questions. Where life forces are involved, the adage holds, “We are learning more and more about less and less, and soon we will know everything about nothing.” ..... When Jesus says of the sower, “He himself does not know how” (v. 27), He puts the mystery of life outside the knowledge of man. Does the analogy apply only to natural life? I think not. The same life forces that operate in the process of physical and spiritual growth are supernatural in origin and therefore beyond the understanding of the natural mind.

Knowledge of God’s truth grows in various ways and is different for each person.

We have talked about a disciple is one who is getting to know God.

This is a life long passion or should be for all of us.

Every time I read scripture, I marvel at the fact that new insights come to my mind as I read passages.

We don’t know why a seed germinates, it just Does because God set that in motion.

Control

The second part of the wonder of growth is that who is in control.

We have no control over the growth of the seed.

Farmers have come close to maximizing the potential of the growth with new technology and methods, but it still is out of our control.

It’s a reminder for all of us that God’s grace is a gift. His salvation and redemption is a gift and nothing we can do to add to it or help it along.

God is in control of all things.

Speed

The final part of the wonder is the speed in which God allows growth.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark The Mysterious Growth

Our egos also want to control the speed of growth for the kingdom of God. Impatience takes over as we try to shortcircuit the process by expecting an instant harvest. Perhaps we are victims of a culture where everything is fast foods and instant relief. Jesus slows us down when He describes a process that takes time and cannot be either speeded up or shortcircuited: “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head” (v. 28)

What speed have you set your spiritual growth rate at. Are you frustrated that you are not understanding quicker than you like or that you feel you should be able to handle more things that you can.

Have you set your own pace over God’s pace.

In this world of comparison we often try to set the speed of God’s working in a person’s life.

This parable is once again a reminder that we need to remove our own egos out of the process and allow God to control all things.

as it has been written,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark (The Mysterious Growth)

,.......Jesus makes it clear that the sprouting, growing, and ripening of the gospel is a supernatural process beyond the prediction and control of man. Our task is to scatter the seed, nourish the plants, and reap the harvest.

God’s Results are Multiplied

The final parable is on God’s measured results.

Let’s read the last section.

Mark 4:30–34 ESV

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 6. Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30–32)

The main point of the parable is that the kingdom of God (v. 30) is like what happens to the mustard seed. It has insignificant and weak beginnings, but a day will come when it will be great and powerful. It is doubtful whether the detail in the parable about the birds taking shelter in the branches of the tree has any significance, though some interpreters see in it a mention of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the kingdom. Nineham (p. 144) makes a general practical application of the truth the parable teaches: “The example of the mustard seed should prevent us from judging the significance of results by the size of the beginnings.”

Although God is powerful, and in the end will triumph, God’s kingdom is not about power and control.

God’s Kingdom is about restoring the relationship with His creation.

Christ came to this world to serve His Father by taking the place for our sins.

As one person put it,

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark The Multiple Results

On the success side of the gospel, we are equally uncomfortable with the idea that the purpose of the kingdom is to grow in service rather than power.

The mustard seed also shows us that growth begins small.

Are you struggling with your work for the kingdom. Do you feel the part you play in building the kingdom is not great or large like you see others.

Take note of the mustard seed, it starts small, but will grow to even hold others.

Remember

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 6. Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30–32)

“The example of the mustard seed should prevent us from judging the significance of results by the size of the beginnings.”

In Summary

As we are about to enter into communion, as the worship team comes forward to prepare,

Is Christ the light of your life?

Do you wonder in amazement of the many things He had done in your life and continue to do in your life>

Are you doing your part in the kingdom no matter what size it may appear to be.

Communion is a time we come together as believers to celebrate

Communion

Benediction