| Mark 4 Memory Verses: 2 Timothy 3:15-16; Galatians 5:25 Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, I apologize for sending chapter 4 a day late, we had real adventures yesterday. I guess that the storm that hit California earlier in the week decided to follow us. It took us around 13 hours to make a 8 hour trip, and to top it off, the jack broke on the trailer before leaving home, so I had to fix that too. What was important though was that we were able to listen to some great teaching tapes that we have, and enjoyed the fellowship of each other as we traveled. This morning I decided to do both chapters under one days heading, it makes more sense that way. As I read through chapter 4, I originally intended to give it a cursory overview since it was a day late, but I see too many important things written there. The theme of the chapter is the Word of God, and how we respond to it. Then in chapter 5, we see amazing stories regarding the man with the legion, the woman with the hemorrhage and the child who had died. Just too much to breeze over, so I am going to attempt to give each chapter a fair shake. A lot of this was written off the cuff, there was so much that I couldn't type fast enough. Once again, if you see something that you wish to add, write in. Mark 4:1-20 The parable of the Sower and the seed. I was raised a farmer, I remember hearing this parable as a young boy and puzzling over it as I watched seeds grow that were planted in all the different places described in this passage. At that time I was not saved, did not understand the Word of God, but a seed was sown. The Catholics read from the Scriptures on Sundays during their brief Mass that they hold, and many seeds were sown throughout the years, it took a long time for one to germinate in my life. However, I do remember puzzling over them early. They loved to pick out parables and read them in the services, yet it is unfortunate that it doesn't go any further than that. The bright side of this is that seeds are sown and are just waiting for the water to make them grow. Referring to Luke 8:11, we see that the seed is the Word of God, and in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Paul develops the thought of the Word as a seed further. Referring to our memory verse, Hebrews 4:12, we are told that the word is living and active. What would be the purpose of sowing a dead seed? It would not germinate. At any rate, Jesus interprets this parable for us, first, the seed on the road. This seed does not penetrate the soil, since it is hard packed, which is like a person who has a hard heart. Then Satan comes along and snatches the word, it has no effect on this person. Then you have the word that is sown in rocky places. When you have rocky soil, the rocks soak up the sun, warming the soil, the seed germinates quickly and the plant dies prematurely because it was not fed, it does not have the dept of soil to sustain it. This is similar to people who accept the Gospel, don't take it seriously, and just play the game. Yet when hard times come, they quickly turn their back on God when they should be turning to God. Then you have the people who are serious, they accept the Word, allow it to grow in their lives and they bear fruit. Who are these people? These are the ones who are serious, they may have been raised in the church their entire lives, or they may have been through the school of hard knocks, but their heart is prepared for the Gospel and it grows deep into their lives. One note on this as a farmers son, when you prepare a field for planting, first you have to cut down the trees and pull the stumps. After that, you have to remove any rocks or obstructions that may hinder plant growth. Once you have these two things done, you have to bring in a breaking plow and turn over a certain dept of soil to kill off the weeds and to loosen the soil. Now comes the disc where you roll it over the soil to pulverize it. A lot of preparation has to go into preparing soil for planting. The Holy Spirit does this in our lives. When the soil of our hearts has been made ready, the seed will grow, and will produce fruit. Praise God that some of us come from fertile bottomland where their parents are Christians and have already prepared the soil for planting. And equally Praise God that He will pull the stumps and obstructions in some of our lives where we have gone to seed, our lives being a mess because of it being focused on the devil and living out his plan. Does it matter how the soil was prepared? What matters is that all of us are brothers in Christ, fellow heirs with Him. Mark 4:21-23 The Parable of the lamp. We can all relate to this parable, it stands for simple logic. If we hide the light that we have, we must be ashamed of the light, or feel that we are doing something wrong. Almost reminds me of a kid reading under a blanket with a flashlight after bedtime. Notice the importance of this verse. The word when it is put into action will produce light in our lives. John 1:4-5, 8-9, 14; 1 John 1:5-8. There was a lot to say regarding the Light being Jesus, and that we are in the light since we are in Jesus. Reflecting on this, as the Word of God is used in our lives and shines out to other people, some are going to be offended, some are going to be convinced of sin, and some are going to be convicted of their need for salvation. Also, though light does not care where the darkness is located. If we are hypocrites and our lives are not in line with the Gospel, then our sin will also be revealed, to everyone. Again, Hebrews 4:12, the Word is a two edged sword, it cuts both ways. Also, 2 Tim 3:16, the word will have an effect in our lives. Both these verses are memory verses that we have memorized. Jesus warns and promises us that the light will shine out to the world, revealing what is hidden by the darkness, that can be good for us, and it can also be difficult for us, because we have to deal with our sin in order to bring our lives into compliance with the Gospel. Mark 4:24-25 Allotments. At first these verses are a little confusing, but look at them in the light of what we have already studied. If we are listening to the world, we will be similar to the seed sown on rocky soil, it will be quickly taken away, because we have no root. However, if we are focused on the higher calling, and our heart is cultivated to receive the word, then we will accept the word, it will grow in our lives, and we will receive more spiritual blessings. Those who do not have, as in the seed on the road and rocky soil, will loose what little word that they have been privileged to have. But those who have their hearts prepared for the Gospel, and are listening to God, accepting His water, and His encouragement, will grow and produce fruit. When you have a good field, you don't just raise one crop on it, you raise crop after crop after crop. God will continue to give us more and more. Any other takes on these verses? Mark 4:26-29 The Parable of the seed. Many people plant the see, and many people are part of the growth of that seed. The one person who is most responsible for the growth of the seed is the Holy Spirit. He makes sure that everyone plants the seed, waters it, coaxes the young plant along until it comes to maturity. Yet none of us are aware of our master gardener, the Holy Spirit at work in orchestrating this growth. God's Kingdom is made up of a lot of people, and all of us are working to bring forth the harvest. At the right time, when a person is ready to receive the Gospel, God directs us to that person and he is led to Christ. Occasionally, this takes place strictly through the work of the Holy Spirit convicting the person of the need for salvation, but most of the time He uses us. And one of us are not aware of all the little tweaks that were placed on a person to bring him to the point where he could be saved. I wonder if this analogy could go both directions, both toward salvation, and toward God bringing us home at the end of our lives, bringing with us the fruit that we have produced for Him. Galatians 6:9 Mark 4:30-34 The Parable of the mustard seed. Picture this, the seed was sown, a small seed in the light of history, 12 men were discipled to care for that seed and to carry it forth to cause growth. Those twelve men were highly unlikely candidates, nothing fantastic about them, simple men, fishermen and worker bees. Yet they carried this message forward to all nations, who carried it forward. The mustard plant has grown through the centuries, at first, it had a Jewish beginning, yet now, the birds of the air, or the gentiles have made their home in its branches. The Kingdom of God, the chosen ones of God, almost too heavy a concept to adequately cover the idea. Yet here we are, all of us gentiles, not a Jew among us, all learning and growing and shedding our light because we are God's kids, we are part of His kingdom. Isn't it fantastic? Mark 4:35-41 The stilling of the sea. Here is a comical story that is captured by Luke 8:22-25 and Matthew 8:18-27. I say it is comical because it causes my mind to reel at the power of God. Is the wind a living entity that can be commanded to stop blowing and of itself it quits? Or perhaps God is able to reach out instantly and stop trillions of pounds of force instantly by instantly stilling the wind. Can you imagine the force that is carried by a storm of the size and magnitude that is described in these verses? A storm that was able to raise waves and capsize a boat, can you picture in your mind the power of the wind in that situation. Those of us who live in Fontana, can tell you that the wind is a mighty powerful force, and if you drive through Palm Springs, you can see where we have made use of the power of wind to produce electricity. I have seen them have to shut down the windmills because the tips are blown off by the force of the wind. Yet Jesus used three words to still the wind, completely, instantly, perfectly calm. Imagine that. Incredible. To say that the disciples were amazed probably didn't do justice to the amazement that they were filled with. Every time I read this story I am blown away by the magnitude of the power of God, and what blows me away even more is the comment that Jesus makes regarding faith. I am convinced that we barely understand faith, if we understand it at all. It will be interesting when we get to heaven and Jesus shows us how that this type of faith was intended to be used. And how He used our meager attempts at faith to build a Kingdom. |
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4:1-20 July 19, 2009 Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters, Mark 4:1-20 Parable of the Sower and Soils 1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 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.” Explanation 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 “The sower sows the word. 15 “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 “In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 “And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” NASB95[1] The parable of the sower and the seeds is pretty easy to understand. Good seed was sown in all three locations. In all three locations, the seed sprouted. The seed in each incident was good seed. I recently sowed a garden. The first attempt at sowing the garden was by using all seeds from one of the local dollar discount stores. Five packets of seeds for a dollar sounded better than two bucks a shot. The germination rate on these seeds was very bad, with over half of the seeds never sprouting. I sowed a new garden at the new house that we now live in. Rather than waste the time driving around to find a bargain, we bought retail seeds at a local hardware store. The germination rate on these seeds was nearly 100 percent. Good seed will grow. The issue that we are looking at is what makes up good seed? When the sower sows seeds, where does he get his seeds from? Today our seeds can come from a variety of spiritual places, some from humanistic places, and few from the source, the Bible. I have heard many Christians nonchalantly claim that a certain unsaved person were on their own because they had "heard the word". My question is what word did they hear? When we witness are we speaking the Word of God as He has laid it on our hearts or are we speaking the word of our testimony that we want to impress on others? Are we promoting ourselves, our ideology, or are we unselfishly promoting God? Don't get me wrong on this, I am not saying that every person that witnesses must walk on water. What I am saying is that we need to spend time in the Word so that when we witness the word that we are sharing is from God's ideas and not from our own. The Holy Spirit takes the Word from the Bible and causes that word to sprout in a person's life in order to drive him to make a decision regarding God. Isaiah 55:11 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. On the line of this discussion, think also on the responsibility that we have as believers. If I spend time focusing on running for example, I can make a good argument on inspiring a person to run for fitness. The time I spend sowing the seeds of running will often sprout into a runner. If I promote a certain TV show that has caught my eye, you can be certain that several people that I talk to will tune in to see the show. Suppose I promote a political figure, arguing the benefits of his platform, some will sway to that thinking. The point is that our hearts will direct us in what we sow, and the seeds will certainly grow. My question to you is what god are you promoting in your life? What vice, passion, interest, or hobby are you promoting that gets more press than God does? I'm not saying that we should quit our hobbies and focus only on the Bible, what I am saying is that we should get our other interest in proper order by placing God as the primary focus of our lives. I believe in lifestyle evangelism. That doesn't mean that people will hear the word by osmosis! We have to actually have enough interest in God to speak about Him to others in the course of our lives in all areas that we influence. Just because people know that we are Christians does not mean that they will convert to Christianity because of our "silent" witness. If you want to use that argument, the cults have a better witness than we do. No one is going to find a better group of people than the Mormons. It's time that we show a little interest in speaking with others about what we believe in. Yesterday I was speaking with an engineer that was stunned because a month ago a "Christian" from a local church knocked on his door to hand him a tract. The impression it made on him was incredible because even though he has not chosen to believe, he is still talking about that "Christian" and his son who visited him long enough to hand him a piece of paper. It's something to think about. Enough preaching, let's get back to the passage. The sower sowed the word in a variety of places, beside the road, rocky ground, thorns, and good soil. Then he left. Do you know of a farmer who will intentionally sow seeds on bad ground? I would be willing to bet that when the farmer sowed the field, he thought that the seeds were all sown on good soil. A few seeds that were broadcast were expected to hit the path, and the thorns, but rocks are often well hidden. The sower's job is simply to sow the seeds. Let's consider good soil for a moment. Good soil that you sow seeds in has often gone through tremendous trauma in its history. It has often been tilled or dug up to where everything has been turned upside down. It has been filled with organic matter (manure), or perhaps been permeated with fertilizer which causes tremendous chemical reactions within the soil to break down the bad stuff to make it good. It's hard to walk on because the ground has been distressed. Bad soil is full of rocks, so it is rather nice to walk on. The ground looks good and firm if the rocks are underground. It may appear to be a very good place to sow seeds. The Path is a place where seeds land but due to the hardness of the walkway, no-one expects seeds to grow there. That place has been walked on and compacted to where practically nothing can penetrate. Thorny soil is rather interesting because we have to ask, were the thorns in seed form or were they already matured? If the thorns were in seed form, the sower may not know they exist until they grow up with the seeds. Here is my point in all of this, often we will witness to those who we think will make good church people. They appear good and solid people who may have been familiar with the Word their entire lives. If a seminar is thrown, churches will pack these in to hear the word. Some of these will convert to believe in Christ. It's not too often that we will approach the down and outers who we could not think of sitting next to in the church on Sunday's. How often for example, will we approach the drunk next door or the gang-banger who likes to sport spray cans and wear his pants too low? How many of us would approach a "tweaker" with sunken eyes from the dope that they have been ingesting? No, we hide behind the fence of personal safety because it is well known that the "tweaker" will steal from anyone to get the next "fix". Like it or not, we often set up standards that we are comfortable with but which are not in accordance with God's plan to reach out to the whole world. Those who are ripe for the word are the people that have had their lives go through the mill. Many are not pleasant to talk to because they stink, their lives reek of corruption, and they are unstable. Often these people are involved in addictions of various sorts. Not only that they simply do not trust you because their lives have been turned upside down by others that appeared to want to help them. In my experience, I can't tell the difference in the soil that I sow the word in. Often church people are the hardest and worst ground to sow seeds in. They will give pat answers and know how to fend off approaches by quoting scripture in order to appease you. Their hearts have been hardened by many who have walked the path of their life either force feeding the word to them, or living lives that are inconsistent with the message of the Gospel. Satan has a vested interest in these people because through their seeming to fit in, their hearts are as hard as a pathway. Unchurched people will be offensive, and appear not to be interested in the message that you have to share. Yet, their lives have been turned over with trauma and often is rich soil waiting for the seed to be sown. These are the ones that we reach through our hobbies, interests, and such. If we will only sow the seed. Churched or unchurched, I can't tell from looking at the soil if it is full of rocks, thorns or if a half an inch down the soil is packed to concrete hardness because it is a pathway. I can't tell if it has been churned up with trauma, even though I may be able to identify drug addiction, alcoholism, or other vices. So, the seed gets sown on all ground in hopes that some will land on the good soil. Thorns and rocks are difficult to see from the sowers perspective. Our job is merely to sow the seed. God's job is to grow the seed into His followers. Satan is watchful and will snatch the seed from the hearts of the hard of heart. Those who have lives filled with rocks may allow the seed to root, but not to take hold in their lives. Pastors have a difficult time with this because watching the seed grow in a person's life brings a hope that that seed will continue growing. It is hard since the falling away of the new born is often interpreted as a failure on the part of the pastor. The troubling part for the pastor is that when the seed is sown, it should produce bountiful results. In churches today we are seeing declining numbers or at least consistent numbers but not growing numbers. Perhaps the problem is that we as believers are relying on the Pastor to be the farmer when in reality we are the farmers. His job is to teach the believers after they have come to the Lord, ours is to reach out to our peers to lead them to the cross. The harvest is waiting for true believers to sow the word that is based on a belief in God's word firmly established in their hearts. That is not the pastor's job, it is the job of the individual believer. Verses 11-12 instruct us that the "mystery of the kingdom of God" was given to the disciples, I hold that that mystery has been transferred to us through salvation. Since it is a mystery, we hold the ability to teach others about it. I encourage you to sow the seed. Check your heart to see if that seed is pure, if it is not, bring whatever pollutes it before the Lord and ask for deliverance from the sin that stands in the way of your relationship with God. Enough babbling, if you have a comment, write in. I am always interested in hearing your responses. Father, draw each one of us to evaluate our lives and commit them completely to You. Teach us to sow the seed of Your truth. In Him, Joe Turner.[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. |
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Good
stuff Joe I think one thing is missed a lot here "Do
you know of a farmer who will intentionally sow seeds on bad ground?" I
think the better question is have you ever seen a farmer leave his crop. I
think we let ourselves off to easy and Jesus wants us to really think about
what he said that is why he used metaphors. He is in control but he uses us
despite our flaws, Just my 2 cents. Andrew Holybee |
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4:21-25 July 12, 2009 Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, Mark 4:21-25 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? 22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By 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.” NASB95 Psalm 119:105-112 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. 107 I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. 108 O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me Your ordinances. 109 My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. 111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. 112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end. NASB95[1] We were discussing seed sowing in the last study. Keep that in mind as you consider the parable of the lamp. Each of us carries a lamp of sorts that represents our message to the world. God's word is called a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The righteous path carries the word of God as a lamp to the world. David wrote about this in the Psalms to help us understand how God's light shines through the individual believer to guide him through the daily walk. I think that the parable that Jesus teaches carries a little more punch than just to say that if you walk with God, don't be ashamed of the Gospel. The idea is that the seeds that you sow will eventually come to light because they will grow. If we sow the seeds of worldliness, eventually our phony nature will become evident to all. If we sow the seeds of sports, eventually people will understand that the most important driving force in our lives is that of sports. Remember, through context of the passage, one of the issues that were being faced here was the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus broke the rules that the Pharisees set and became their enemy because of that. The light that the Pharisees utilized was one that was fueled by fleshly works instead of the light of God. Jesus was teaching that when we sow seeds, those seeds will grow. What lamp do we have shining in the windows of our lives? Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. If you will notice, Jesus carried the same message in Matthew. The salt that had lost its saltiness was a useless item. That salt should warn us that if we have lost the capacity to make people thirsty, then perhaps our message is not that of God's word but rather a message that comes from the world. Luke 11:32-33 32 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 33 “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. Luke recorded two incidents of the lamp parable, one was in conjunction with the sower and the seed. The second was in conjunction with relating to why people were rejecting Jesus as Messiah. The lamp that is lit is that of Jesus in this situation. Verses 24-25: The idea reverts back to the farmer here. If the farmer is responsible with the seed and sows that seed, then it will grow and reap a harvest. However, if the farmer sows bad seed or sows seed of weeds in their life, then the return on their investment will be nothing. What do we want to reap in our lives? Do we wish to sow a measure of good seed based on God's word? Or do we wish to sow seeds which are based on our human interest? God allows us to carry the standard of measure and to utilize it in our lives. Its worth thinking about. To put it all together, the seeds that we sow in our lives will testify of the message that we carry in our hearts. If we spend the time to dig in the Bible to build good seed in our lives which is based on the life of Christ, then that seed will germinate to grow Christians. However, if we sow the seed of humanistic or modern thinking, then our seed will grow more ungodly people that are opposed to God's work. Our seed is the light that we display in our lives, if that seed is righteous, displaying the lamp will lead others to righteousness. If that seed is unrighteous, then we by default support the devil and lead others away from Christ. We control the measure and integrity of our lives in Christ. I am going to close here, all comments are welcomed. Father, draw each of us to consider the way that these few verses speak to the reality of our life message and impress upon us the importance of walking in Your ways. In Him, Joe Turner. [1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. |
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4:26-29 July 24, 2009 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, Mark 4:26-29 Parable of the Seed 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 puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” NASB95[1] The parable of the seed continues the thought of the passage. Andrew Holybee sent in a note yesterday stating that a farmer does not sow seed, then neglect the crop. Mark recorded Jesus saying the same thing here. The farmer does not understand how life emerges from the seed, only that it grows, then produces a crop that can be harvested. When you think about it, this has not changed. Modern biologist can tell you the reason that a seed sprouts. They can show you how that the cells respond to water and then grow and divide to become a plant. However, they cannot tell you why life exists. Science can only tell you that it does exist and that seeds sprout and grow. The source behind life is God. He is the prime mover of the universe that causes everything that has life to live. The same is true regarding spiritual life. God is the prime mover that regenerates the unbeliever to make him into a new creation which is designed after God's image. As farmers, we sow the seed of the Word, God causes it to grow and develop into mature believers. Enough for today, all comments are welcomed. Father, as we consider Your word, draw each of us to take personal responsibility for the seed that we sow. In Him, Joe Turner. [1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
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November 23, 2009 Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, I have been gone from the Bible study for a long time. Several of you have asked about it. I have a million excuses, but none of them good. I am currently winding down in the last 4 weeks of an 8 week class on pastoral counseling. I have worked on this study at intervals for quite a long time. It's longer than usual so please bear with me on it. In the passage we will focus on today, each of us can relate to it. Our churches draw in a lot of people. Many of these people are not Christians. We minister to the ones who are believers and the unbelievers just the same partly because we are not able to tell the difference. God does not make churches to be independent entities which exist for people to serve them. God creates churches for churches to serve the people. Let's think for a moment about our nation. Our country serves the world in much the same manner. God expects our nation to cling to the biblical standard that it was founded upon. It has not done so in recent years. The responsibility still remains. The passage that we are looking at today focuses on the Kingdom of God. The Nation Israel gave us many pictures that we can utilize during this study to understand the parable of the mustard seed. God's kingdom is a kingdom that offers support to many people, some who are believers, some unbelievers, and some who are seekers of the truth. Mark 4:30-34 30 And He said, “How shall we picture 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.” 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. NASB95[1] Jesus used a popular image from the Old Testament to teach that the Kingdom is now at hand. The "birds of the air" was a euphemism which referred to the Gentiles or a foreign nation taking refuge under the shelter of a superior power. For a quick study on this, let's look at some cross-references for a moment. Ezekiel 17:22-24 22 Thus says the Lord God, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 “On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately cedar. And birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches. 24 “All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it.” King Zedekiah made a pact with Egypt which resulted in the loss of the land to Babylon. God promised restoration eventually where Israel would be returned to their glory as a world power. Ezekiel 31:5-7 5 ‘Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field And its boughs became many and its branches long Because of many waters as it spread them out. 6 ‘All the birds of the heavens nested in its boughs, And under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth, And all great nations lived under its shade. 7 ‘So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its roots extended to many waters. This passage refers to Egypt. It was a central cultural center that drew all the world to it for support. Daniel 4:12 12 ‘Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it. This passage refers to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The idea was that the kingdom had become so big that it fed the nations around it. Birds of the air referred to other nations that relied upon Babylon for support and monetary gain. This would be very similar to the way that the United States is a main consumer for many nations around the world. The picture of a mustard seed was not a new idea to the Jews. In this case, it was applied to the Kingdom of God. When you consider this in context, God's kingdom will grow to the point that it will become a place where other nations will take refuge under its wings. Step into their shoes for a moment. The "Kingdom" was a "Jewish" kingdom established upon the history of the Law. We are too quick to interpret this passage strictly in the sense of the "New Testament" without looking at the implications from the "Old Testament." The point that I am making here is that the "Kingdom of God" is "Jewish", the Gentiles and foreign nations are able to take part of that kingdom through the finished work of Christ. To back this up let's look at what Paul stated: Romans 11:16-25 16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; God allowed Israel to go their own way for a period of time. Their unbelief placed a distance between them and God. During that time God allowed the Gentiles to be grafted into the tree of Israel. For many years the church has taught a form of replacement theology where Gentiles replace the Jews. How arrogant we have become by thinking that God has rejected the Nation of Israel. In reality we are the usurpers, the nations who have camped under the canopy of Israel. The parable that Jesus gave was not that the mustard seed would germinate to become a Gentile tree, but rather that it would be a Jewish tree that grows out of Judiasm. If we look into the scriptures, it is clear that the "valley of dry bones", the "budding of the fig tree" and other illustrations demonstrate clearly that the Jewish nation will eventually regain their position of spiritual superiority and be re-grafted back into the tree. What does this have to do with us? Each of us are part of individual churches that reach out to the needs of other people. Our physical church buildings are ministry points that bring wealth to many unbelieving business men. Our church body touches many who are believers and unbelievers through the day influencing them for God as witnesses of God and ambassadors of Christ. As individuals, we carry God's message to the world in every aspect of our lives. Our small to mega churches each started with an idea, a small mustard seed. As they grow, so grows our contact with the world. Please note that we have not replaced Israel, we are standing in for Israel until they resume their rightful position as God's chosen people. Until then, each of us is to spread God's word through each of our lives in every area that we touch people. Today, look for an opportunity to share something about your trust in God with another person. A word of encouragement on this, it will be hard at first, but easy as the conversation continues. Father, as we consider Your word, show each one of us the awesome responsibility that we have as Your followers. In Him, Joe Turner. [1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. |
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Good Morning Brothers and Sisters Have you ever felt as if you have been somewhere before? Have you ever had the sense that things were just too familiar? Have you ever felt that God was absent in your life? Asleep? Or just not interested in your troubles? In a way this is where the disciples are at in this story. Remember, up till now, Jesus is a great teacher who is able to do some marvelous miracles. On with the study. Mark 4:35-41, NASB95: aOn that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and arebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” [1] The disciples were Jews. Jewish people understood the Old Testament stories. You can see from this story that there was tremendous things that took place. Jesus overruled the laws of nature so that He could calm the sea and stop the storm dead still in its tracks. Has this ever happened before in scripture? Think with me for a moment, Moses extended his staff over the sea and God in response to this parted the waters (Exodus 14:16). Shortly afterwards, the Egyptians tried to transverse the same path and were drowned as the waters returned to their original place (Exodus 14:27). Notice that Moses did not cause the water to split, he was acting on a command of God. Joshua instructed the priests to carry the Ark of the Lord into the flood waters of the Jordan River. It was at flood stage at the time. When it split, water stood up like a mountain to allow Israel to pass over (Joshua 3). Joshua clearly stated that the Lord would split the waters, this was verified by the Lord's command (Joshua 3:7-13). Elijah was instructed by the Lord to cross the Jordan, he struck it with his mantle and the waters split so that he and Elisha crossed over on dry ground (2 Kings 2). Elisha called on the name of the Lord and crossed back over the Jordan splitting the water again. What does this demonstrate to us? Jesus did not call on the Lord. He did not extend a rod, place the Ark of the Covenant in the water or strike the water with a mantle. Jesus spoke to the water and commanded it to be still. The significance of this was not lost on the disciples. Only God has the ability to control water. Jesus made a clear point that he was more than a mere prophet. Jesus was and is God. How does this apply to us? Has Jesus changed? How many times do we ignore God and think that we can bail the water out of the boat through our own strength? "How is it that you have not faith?" Perhaps we need to consider this question in our own lives. As the storms of our current time come upon us, let's commit to wake up and pray. Let's commit together to ask God to take part in our lives to deliver us from the impossible problems that are facing each of us. Fill in the blank regarding your problem and pray earnestly. Father draw each one of us to listen to quit trying to do Your work in our strength. I pray that as each of us face impossible problems that you step in and perform miraculous deliverance. In Him, Joe Turner. |