Faith in the Word of the King
Series: THE SERVANT KING
Speaker: Nick Freestone
Date: 10th March 2018
Passage: Mark 4:1-34
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 you might be sitting here for the first time being in our church for the first time or a church for
00:00:04 --> 00:00:09 the first time. You might have been here for a hundred years like I have, it feels like, and you
00:00:09 --> 00:00:15 might be wondering why do we do this bit of church, the bit that I'm doing, why do we do this preaching
00:00:15 --> 00:00:24 bit of church every week? We know that God speaks through his word, the Bible. In 2 Timothy it says
00:00:24 --> 00:00:32 that all scripture is God-breathed as if God was speaking it to you directly. His words in the Bible,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:41 read and explained, are empowered by his spirit, they are his living voice. And we are commanded
00:00:41 --> 00:00:47 in the Bible too to pass on his word through reading and preaching when we gather together
00:00:47 --> 00:00:58 carefully and wherever we are. We can trace the practice of doing this back from today through
00:00:58 --> 00:01:08 church history, back to the disciples ministry and back to Mark 2 verse 2 where we hear that Jesus
00:01:08 --> 00:01:15 began to preach the message of good news to all. Now I was preparing to preach today, that lineage
00:01:15 --> 00:01:23 struck me because Jesus' example followed faithfully for many, many, many generations.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:31 Through that preaching and proclamation of Jesus' words, that's why I am right here doing the same
00:01:31 --> 00:01:40 today. So this week, like the last and the one before that and the one before that, we're going to hear
00:01:40 --> 00:01:47 God speak in his word. And I'm going to try and help you understand it, apply it, and love it.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:54 So let me pray and ask him to do what he has promised he will do and speak to us. Let's pray.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 Amen.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:02 Lord Jesus, open our ears to hear you speak today. May the words of my mouth be filled with messages
00:02:02 --> 00:02:10 from you. Would you speak through your Holy Spirit to me, through me today, so that we may together
00:02:10 --> 00:02:19 hear your words with open ears. For it is a privilege that you, O God, would speak to us. Amen.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:29 So far in Mark, which we've been stepping through the last few weeks of church, we've heard that Jesus
00:02:29 --> 00:02:36 was preaching and healing and proving himself by miracles and defying the conventions of the culture
00:02:36 --> 00:02:44 of his day. He loved people who were outsiders, who didn't fit into the culture of the time,
00:02:44 --> 00:02:51 who were often outcast. And he shunned the insiders, the people who thought that they had
00:02:51 --> 00:03:00 everything together. We haven't seen, though, yet how Jesus preached day to day. It was a big deal
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 what he was doing. We know that he was preaching. Mark 4 is where we get to hear about it.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:14 So today, I want to do three, take you through three steps. We're going to discover how Jesus
00:03:14 --> 00:03:22 preached and why. Because it's not what you might expect. We're going to try and understand
00:03:22 --> 00:03:31 what his preaching means for him and for his kingdom. And lastly, we're going to look at how
00:03:31 --> 00:03:39 his teaching leads and empowers his followers in his kingdom. But right now, let's discover how
00:03:39 --> 00:03:46 he preached. So get your Bible, go to Mark 4, and if the fan doesn't keep blowing it away,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 keep it open in front of you.
00:03:52 --> 00:04:01 Jesus was outside in a boat on the lake. The crowd around him was so large that he had to
00:04:01 --> 00:04:08 get in the water to stay away from them so that they could all hear him rather than being crushed.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:20 So eager were so many to hear him. So he gets into a boat and he says, listen. And then he spoke to
00:04:20 --> 00:04:33 them using parables. A parable is this kind of wisdom story that gives us insight into the real world.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:44 It literally means to put one thing beside another. Like a story beside reality itself.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:53 These are puzzles of wisdom that when interpreted correctly can reform whole worldviews, reshape cultures,
00:04:54 --> 00:05:02 reform ways of living, ways of thinking, all with this little story. But the problem with parables
00:05:02 --> 00:05:11 is that they're like riddles. They're tricky. They're completely unclear without an interpretation.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Like a lock that needs a key.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:25 Jesus explained to his disciples why he used parables in Mark 4 in verse 11. And if you were
00:05:25 --> 00:05:32 listening to the passage, this is the verse that sounds out of place. So have a look. This is why
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 Jesus used parables. He says,
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 Everything is said in parables. Everything.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:47 So that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 Wait.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 Wait.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 Wait.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:53 Wait.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 Sounds like Jesus was deliberately trying to exclude people.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:02 Is he?
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 Why does he say this?
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 Jesus here is quoting from the Old Testament.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 From a book in the Old Testament called Isaiah.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:22 Where God calls a bloke called Isaiah to be a prophet.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 Using those exact words.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 Jesus here is aligning himself as God's messenger.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 And perhaps his disciples and the other people gathered around at that moment,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 they might have understood that.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:45 But still, that's a strange part of God's calling of Isaiah to pick out.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:53 It's not by accident that Jesus places his preaching alongside what God's people knew
00:06:53 --> 00:07:00 was God's invitation for a man to be God's messenger.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:10 But Jesus quoting Isaiah, he also reveals that Jesus' messages from God as parables,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:15 they're going to demand a special perception and understanding.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:23 And without those, the heroes of the parables will miss forgiveness from God and receive judgment.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 See, they're pretty important.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:32 So rather than this being Jesus deliberately excluding people,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:38 he's warning people to pay attention and seek understanding and perception,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 or they're going to miss out.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:48 I said before that parables are locked and need a key.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 And to understand their meaning and application,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 they would need explaining by someone very wise,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 or explaining by the person who wrote them.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 Who will provide the key for Jesus' parables?
00:08:02 --> 00:08:07 Or more specifically, who might be the key that we're to look to,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 to get understanding.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:16 So, right now, put yourself in the crowd around the lake.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 How would you make sense of these parables?
00:08:20 --> 00:08:26 Let me first tell you how not to understand these parables.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:33 Do not make yourself the key to their interpretation.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:39 You are not the key to understanding Jesus' preaching.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 Their author alone knows their meaning,
00:08:43 --> 00:08:47 and you cannot open a lock without being given a key.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:52 If I stand before one of those vintage old doors with an old lock,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 with one of those huge big keyholes,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:59 apart from it being kind of cool and making me think about
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 all the Lord of the Rings books that I read when I was young,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 with all the elaborate ways of opening doors and things to say
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 and that kind of stuff,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 I would be stuck.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 I wouldn't know what to do.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:14 The only thing I've got is a hand or a finger or something
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 to try and jam into that lock to try and get it open.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 That's not going to help.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 So take care with these parables.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 Your finger's not going to open the lock.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 You can't do it.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:31 And take care with the word of God too.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 See that you never take your culture,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 your desires,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 your preferences,
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 and project those onto the word
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 to make it suit you.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 Rather, look to Jesus himself,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 to his words,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 and to the life that he lived,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 to see what these words truly mean
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 and how to apply them to their life,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 your life.
00:09:58 --> 00:09:58 Now,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 the best part of this passage,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:02 I think,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 is that
00:10:03 --> 00:10:08 people came to Jesus to do exactly that,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 straight away.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 Look at chapter 4, verse 10.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 People came to Jesus to hear him
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 straight after that first parable.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 They were desperate to hear what it meant.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 And it's not just Jesus' disciples.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 It's not just Jesus going home
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 with the guys who gave him a lift.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 It's just a bunch of people
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 who really wanted to know what was going on.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 And Jesus was willing to explain it to them,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 to those who would come close
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 and hear further.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 But vast numbers of people,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 a crowd so big
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 that the guy had to go into the water
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 to avoid getting crushed,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 vast numbers of people
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 went home after hearing Jesus' parables
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 without seeking Jesus' insight into them,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 and they assumed
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 that they could comprehend
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 and apply them without him,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 or they were totally irrelevant,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:08 it didn't matter.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 Judgment
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 and a real lack of wisdom.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 God is not being people,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 heard by people,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 who respond like that.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 Jesus is seeking people
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 who when they hear Jesus speak,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 yearn for more words from him,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 so that many would receive
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 the salvation that he brings,
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 and the forgiveness from sins
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 that he offers.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 Jesus knew people needed
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 his insight.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 Which is why he asks
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 those rhetorical questions
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 in verse 13.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 Look at verse 13 with me.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 Don't you understand this parable?
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 How then will you understand
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 any parable?
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 Well, the answer is
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 by asking you, Jesus,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 to explain them
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 and say more.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:07 Jesus is the one to come to
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 for the key to understanding
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 all God's word.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 He is the king
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 of the kingdom of God.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 And we come to this passage now
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 and to our Bibles every day
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 because of Jesus' willingness
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 to embody and reveal
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 that he is the key.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 He is the key to the kingdom of God.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 Good news.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 I'm not going to preach
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 to you today in parables.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 I'm first not clever enough
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 to write them
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 because they're so rich
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 and difficult and amazing.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 But I'm going to dive with you
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 into these that Jesus shared.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 There's four of them today.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 And we're going to see
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 what they reveal
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 about his kingdom.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 And then we're going to look
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 at how he unlocks the parables
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 for our life and mission.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 And we're going to start
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 with the two short parables,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 two of them that begin
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 with the statement.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 The kingdom of God
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 is like...
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 See how the design
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 of the parable works?
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 Each little story
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 reveals part of the kingdom
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 as revealed by the king.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 The kingdom of God here
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 is not about a realm
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 or a geographical location,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 but it's all about
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 who the ruler is
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 and how he rules.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:30 See, the king
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 of the kingdom of God
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 did not come with an army
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 or tanks,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 no force.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 He didn't drive out
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 the physical enemies
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 of God's people
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 like they might have
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 expected him to do,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 but he came with words
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 of invitation,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 grace,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 and love.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 These parables reveal
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 the king
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 of the kingdom of God.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 They're breathtaking.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 They're disarming.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 They're deep.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 So let's have a look
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 at some of them.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 First,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 the kingdom of God
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 is like a lamp.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 Look at me
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 at verse 21.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 That'll be over the page
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 if you've got
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 a church Bible
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 in front of you.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 Verse 21
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 of chapter 4.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 He said to them,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 Do you bring in a lamp
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 to put it under a bowl
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 or a bed?
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 Instead,
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 don't you put it
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 on its stand?
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 For whatever is hidden
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 is meant to be disclosed,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 and whatever is concealed
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 is meant to be brought out
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 into the open.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 If anyone has ears to hear,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 let him hear.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:43 The kingdom
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 is the light
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 in a dark room.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 It's on a stand.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 It's up high
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 where the light
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 can disperse from.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 It's not hidden.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 Its light reveals
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 what lies
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 in the darkness,
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 illuminating
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 the unknown
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 and providing
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 the view
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 for man
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 to take steps
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 back to God.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 The light
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 provides insight
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 and understanding
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 for the world
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 that we live in.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 Jesus' life
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 shows us
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 that he is
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 this lamp
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 on a stand.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 That people
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 would see
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 their way
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 to God
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 when they saw
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 him.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 He does not want
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 mystery
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 or exclusion,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 but invites
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 and provides
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 nearness
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 to God
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 as people
00:15:37 --> 00:15:37 see him.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 as they
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 see the light.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 So second,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 let's go
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 to verse 30
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 where the
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 kingdom of God
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 is like
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 a seed.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 A little
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 seed
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 contains
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 all the
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 potential
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 of a huge
00:15:54 --> 00:15:54 tree
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 in a tiny
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 grain.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 Its power
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 under control
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 in the face
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 of terrible
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 odds.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 God
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 is
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 in Mark
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 4.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 Jesus
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 is just
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 this
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 carpenter
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 standing
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 in a
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 boat,
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 but he
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 is the
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 king
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 of the
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 most
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 powerful
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 kingdom
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 to ever
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 take hold
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 of the
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 world.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 The gospel
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 has circled
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 the globe.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 It's
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 crossed barriers
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of continents
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 and language.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 It's been
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 greeted by
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 young
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 and old
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 and clever
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 people
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 and foolish
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 people.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 It's even
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 been embraced
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 by its
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 enemies.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 This tree
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 has grown
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 so much
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 that it
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 now connects
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 us,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 connects
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 you,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 to the
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 word that
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 he preached
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 by the
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 lake that
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 day,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 to this
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 broke
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 carpenter
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 standing in
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 a boat
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 2
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 years ago.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 He was
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 just a
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 seed,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 but look
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 at the
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 tree.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 On first
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 reading,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 these
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 parables
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 are like
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 prophecy.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 They're
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 like
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 insights
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 into the
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 life that
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 Jesus
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 would live
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 out in
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 the pages
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 of Mark
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 to come,
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 and they
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 are.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 But they're
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 even more
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 than that.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 Here's how
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 we know.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 Have a look
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 at verse
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 33 and
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 34.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 With many
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 similar
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 parables,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 Jesus spoke
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 the word
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 to them,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 as much
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 as they
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 could
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 understand.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 He didn't
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 say anything
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 to them
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 without using
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 a parable,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 but when
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 he was alone
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 with his
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 own
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 disciples,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 he explained
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 everything.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 Jesus
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 always
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 offered an
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 explanation
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 for his
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 parables.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 We can
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 compare
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 Jesus'
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 life and
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 example to
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 these stories
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 to see
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 his kingdom
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 come.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 There's
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 more.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 If we
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 just heard
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 these stories
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 and then
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 clearly watched
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 how he
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 lived,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 that's what
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 we would see
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 in those
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 parables,
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 but there's
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 more.
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 The good
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 news is
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 that Mark
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 chose one
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 parable
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 that Jesus
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 preaches
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 and explains
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 to help us
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 see deeper
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 into all
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 the other
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 parables to
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 come.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 Let's jump
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 back to the
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 beginning of
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 Mark 4.
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 This may
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 be the
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 only parable
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 you know.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 This was
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 my favourite
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 one growing
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 up.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 I love
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 the idea
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 of God
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 being
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 gracious
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 and I
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 also really
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 really like
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 the story
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 of the
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 prodigal
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 son because
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 I often
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 felt like
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 one or
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 both of
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 those people
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 in that
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 story.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 It may
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 be a
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 really
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 well-known
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 parable that
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 you can think
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 of right
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 away.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 I'm not
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 going to
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 go deeply
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 into it.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 I'm just
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 going to
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 describe it
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 but I
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 think that
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 God might
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 have something
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 very very
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 different to
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 say to you
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 than you
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 think is
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 actually
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 written there
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 because I
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 can tell you
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 that growing
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 up both
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 prodigal
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 son and
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 this one
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 I had my
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 own
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 interpretation
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 that suited
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 me.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 Let's see
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 what Jesus
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 says.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 He
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 describes a
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 farmer
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 sowing
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 seeds.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 Four soils
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 and four
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 responses to
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 the seed
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 as it
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 is sown.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 The story
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 is very
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 simple but
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 Jesus explains
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 its epic
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 implications for
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 us all.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 He says
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 the key
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 for us
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 is what
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 the seed
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 is and
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 our response
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 to it.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 So then
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 later in
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 verse 13
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 to 20
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 we learn
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 that the
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 seed is
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 the word.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 It's God's
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 message preached
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 and lived
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 out through
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 Jesus.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 If you
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 were a
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 farmer
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 standing in
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 that crowd
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 and you
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 heard Jesus
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 describing a
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 story of a
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 farmer just
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 lobbing grain
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 everywhere with
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 some of it
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 going on the
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 path and
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 some of it
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 going on the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 rocks and
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 some of it
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 going into
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 bad soil,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 you'd think
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 what a
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 waste.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 That's
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 actually
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 what's
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 going to
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 grab your
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 attention if
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 you're an
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 agriculturalist.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 but
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 in this
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 story
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 it reveals
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 Jesus'
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 gracious
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 strategy
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 so that
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 all might
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 hear the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 good news.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 He's not
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 playing
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 favourites,
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 he's not
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 going,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 oh those
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 people will
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 get it,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 I'll go
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 over here.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 He's
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 preaching it
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 to everyone.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 So as
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 Jesus
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 preaches
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 and so
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 is the
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 word,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 people
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 respond to
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 hearing it
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 and see
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 here that
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 there's this
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 existing barrier
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 to accepting
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 God's word.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 It's in
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 verse 15.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 Look at your
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 Bible and see
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 if you can see
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 what it is,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 verse 15.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 It's Satan
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 himself.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 Jesus is
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 fully aware
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 of Satan's
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 intention to
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 remove the
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 word,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 undermine the
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 word and
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 distract the
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 soil from
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 growing the
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 word and
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 bearing fruit.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 Satan wants
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 to silence
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 Jesus'
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 message.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 Within the
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 parable there's
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 an implied
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 boundary of
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 Satan's ability
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 to influence
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 the reception
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 of the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 word,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 which is
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 to say
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 that he
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 cannot
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 silence
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 the word
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 everywhere.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 It is
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 always good
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 to hear
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 that Satan's
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 work against
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 us has
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 limits.
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 But it's
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 certainly
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 something to
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 be aware
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 of.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 And then
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 there's
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 good soil
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 that accepts
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 the word.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 That soil
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 is personified
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 right at the
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 moment of
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 him explaining
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 it by the
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 people who've
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 gone to
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Jesus to
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 understand this
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 parable.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 Those who
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 seek his
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 word and
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 receive it
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 with gladness.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 The seed
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 in them
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 will grow
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 and bear
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 fruit.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 fruit.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 If you
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 have ever
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 been to
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 western
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 New South
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 Wales or
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 to the
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 country
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 anywhere,
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 you would
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 have seen
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 fields of
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 canola,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 cotton,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 wheat,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 all different
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 kinds of
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 things.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 I imagine
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 wheat because
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 I grew up
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 in dairy
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 country and
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 there's no
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 fields of
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 anything
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 anywhere.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 Wheat
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 seems just
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 about as
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 normal as
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 I can
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 imagine.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 but think
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 about this.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 Think about
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 a wheat
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 seed falling
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 in the ground
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 and growing
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 up.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 What's the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 crop at
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 the end?
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 More seeds.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 More of
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 what the
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 farmer threw
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 out there in
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 the first
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 place.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 It is the
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 good news
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 that Jesus
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 the farmer
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 can re-sow
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 through the
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 life and
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 labours of
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 his followers
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 to come.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 And that's
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 the glorious
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 transition that
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 Mark holds
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 up here.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 The transition
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 that is the
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 pattern for
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 understanding all
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 the parables.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 They show us
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 how Jesus
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 will usher
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 in his
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 kingdom and
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 grow his
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 followers through
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 his word so
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 that they can
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 be involved
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 in the
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 continuing
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 growth of
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 the kingdom
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 through the
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 word.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 We're
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 invited to
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 join Jesus
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 followers in
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 verse 10.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 Crowded
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 round and
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 near Jesus
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 to hear him
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 speak and
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 explain how
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 we follow
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 him into
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 the parable.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 The words
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 and parables
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 of Jesus
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 are about
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 him and
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 his word
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 grows in
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 us and
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 the parables
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 become about
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 us to.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 Think about
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 the parable
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 of the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 sower.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 We've just
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 been given
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 the word
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 by Jesus
00:24:05 --> 00:24:08 and as we
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 gather around
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 him through
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 the ministry
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 of those
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 who follow
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 Jesus from
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 then till
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 now through
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 the preaching
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 of the written
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 word.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 Now we
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 too
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 take that
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 same seed
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 that is
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 the word
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 and we
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 too
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 sow it
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 everywhere.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 Not showing
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 favoritism,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 not dividing
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 our churches
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 by language
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 or culture.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 We want
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 everyone to
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 hear no
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 matter who
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 they are
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 wherever
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 we are.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 We share
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 the word
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 hoping it
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 will be
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 received
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and accepted.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 That's our
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 mission as
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 Jesus followers.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 to take
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 his word
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 and to
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 sow it
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 everywhere.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 We too
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 know also
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 that we
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 are each
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 hearers of
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 the word
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 day by
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 day,
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 Sunday by
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 Sunday.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 I read
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 this parable
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 of the
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 sower
00:25:08 --> 00:25:11 and I
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 know that
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 some days
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 I am a
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 hard pavement
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 to the
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 word of
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 God.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 You might
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 feel like
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 that right
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 now.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 Satan is
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 still in
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 the business
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 of removing
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 the word
00:25:23 --> 00:25:26 from my
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 ears and
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 from yours.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 You might
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 be listening
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 right now
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 and not
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 be listening
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 to the
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 challenge of
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 God through
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 his word.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 Satan loves
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 to rob you
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 of the good
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 news.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 He loves to
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 undermine it
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 with doubts.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 He loves
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 to distract
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 you with
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 other things.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 As you
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 sit in
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 church each
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 week, I
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 can tell you
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 that I am
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 exactly the
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 same.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 I sit in
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 church, I
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 hear the
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 Bible, I
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 read it, and
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 I'm thinking
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 about my
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 anxieties as
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 a father, I'm
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 worrying about
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 the things that
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 I need to get
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 done the next
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 day because the
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 house is a
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 mess and I'm
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 the only one
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 at home.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 I'm thinking
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 about the
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 most ridiculous
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 things and
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 ignoring the
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 words of my
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 saviour who
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 is speaking to
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 me face to
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 face through
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 his word.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 Sounds like
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 something I
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 wouldn't do if
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 I really did
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 believe that.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 And that's
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 the trick of
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 Satan.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 Time spent
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 before Jesus
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 in that place
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 in the kingdom
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 inspires a
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 life of
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 mission,
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 sharing the
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 gospel in
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 action and
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 word.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 love.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:48 But the
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 result in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 this parable
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 of someone
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 who hears
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 the word
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 but gets
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 distracted
00:26:56 --> 00:26:59 is a
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 life choked
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 by weeds,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 the weeds of
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 distraction and
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 idolatry and
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 following after
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 things like it
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 mentions wealth
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 specifically.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 there is
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 yet hope for
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 every listener
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 while you
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 eagerly seek
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 to hear
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 the word.
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 If you feel
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 like any of
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 those other
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 soils right
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 now as you
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 receive the
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 word of God
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 your hope
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 is that God
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 is in the
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 business of
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 changing you
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 and readying
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 us by his
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 spirit to
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 receive his
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 word,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 to multiply
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 it in
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 kingdom-minded
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 lives.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 You've got to
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 keep coming to
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 it.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 You've got to
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 keep listening
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 to him.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 It's not
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 through any
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 good works
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 that you're
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 going to do.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 It's not
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 through any
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 striving harder
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 after doing
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 the right
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 thing.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 It's going to
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 be through the
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 word of Jesus
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 by his
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 Holy Spirit.
00:27:57 --> 00:28:01 Do you
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 see how
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 this parable
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 empowers our
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 lives for the
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 kingdom?
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 It is
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 for us
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 as fresh
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 today as it
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 was that
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 day
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 by the
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 lake.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 So now
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 that we've
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 seen
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 how
00:28:20 --> 00:28:23 Jesus'
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 life
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 and who
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 he is
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 is the
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 pattern of
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 the
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 parable
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 but also
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 he has
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 given us
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 the ministry
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 of the
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 word and
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 we have
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 become part
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 of the
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 parable
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 ourselves.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 Let's
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 look back
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 at the
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 other two
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 parables
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 that we've
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 already
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 seen.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 The one
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 about the
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 lamp and
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 the one
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 about the
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 mustard
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 seed.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 The
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 kingdom of
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 God is
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 like a
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 lamp
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 because
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 Jesus has
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 transferred
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 the word
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 from him
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58 to us.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 The
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 light of
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 Jesus'
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 word is
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 now your
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 lamp in
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 your hand
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 to put on
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 the stand
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 of your
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 life every
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 day and
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 to never
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 hide it.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 For it
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 will be
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 Jesus'
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 word alone
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 that will
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 help you
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 see people
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 in the
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 darkness
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 and motivate
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 you to
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 bring them
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 through their
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 horrible
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 blindness to
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 salvation to
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 Jesus in
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 his light.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 How incredible
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 is that?
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 How incredible
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 is that?
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 What about
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 the mustard
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 seed?
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 God's
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 word changes
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 us dirt
00:29:35 --> 00:29:38 specks into
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 seeds with
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 limitless gospel
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 sharing potential.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 No matter
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 where you think
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 you are or
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 where you've
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 been, the
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 potential for
00:29:47 --> 00:29:49 gospel ministry
00:29:49 --> 00:29:52 is limitless.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Your life
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 can be
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 fruitful for
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 the kingdom
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 through the
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 word of
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 God.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 And that's
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 the growth
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 strategy for
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 enlarging the
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 kingdom is
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 through God's
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 people.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 That brings
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 us to our
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 last parable,
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 the parable
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 of the harvest
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 in verses
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 26.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:19 the lamp
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 and the
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 mustard
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 seed,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 like Takeshi
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 taught us
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 about last
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 week.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 Mark has
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 put them
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 together like
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 a sandwich.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 They're like
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 the bread
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 and here
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 comes the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 filling,
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 the good
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 bit in
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 the middle,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 the crescendo
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 of those
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 three.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:37 let's read
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 verse 26.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 He also
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 said,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 this is what
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 the kingdom
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 of God
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 is like.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 A man
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 scatters seed
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 on the
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 ground,
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 night and
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 day.
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 Whether he
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 sleeps or
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 gets up,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 the seed
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 sprouts and
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 grows.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Though he
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 does not
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 know how,
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 all by
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 itself the
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 soil produces
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 grain,
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 first the
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 stalk,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 then the
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 head,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 then the
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 full kernel
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 in the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 head,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 and as
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 soon as
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 the grain
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 is ripe,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 he puts
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 the sickle
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 to it
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 because the
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 harvest has
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 come.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 God does
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 the growing
00:31:14 --> 00:31:16 in unseen
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 and sometimes
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 unknown ways
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 and he does
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 it in your
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 life and in
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 the lives of
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 those around
00:31:24 --> 00:31:26 you through
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 his word.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 You have a
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 place in
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 the kingdom
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 of God and
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 it's to
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 sit right
00:31:32 --> 00:31:34 there with
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 the disciples
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 gathered around
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 the saviour
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 listening to
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 him.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 The time we
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 spend,
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 like I've
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 said before,
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 the time we
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 spend in
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 that place
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 hearing Jesus
00:31:45 --> 00:31:47 inspires a
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 life of
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 mission,
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 sharing the
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 gospel in
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 action and
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 word.
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 You have
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 become like
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 a farmer
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 planting seeds.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 you plant
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 the seed of
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 the gospel
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 wherever and
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 whatever your
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 field, whether
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 it be home or
00:32:05 --> 00:32:08 work or a
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 church, wherever
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 you happen to
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 be, wherever
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 you are tending
00:32:12 --> 00:32:15 the ground and
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 give it your best
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 shot to help it
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 grow.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 Wait patiently
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 for the growth
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 that God does
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 by his Holy
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 Spirit through
00:32:21 --> 00:32:23 his word for
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 the moment when
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 the harvest is
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 ripe.
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 Friends, we
00:32:27 --> 00:32:29 long to see
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 harvest time
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 for this
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 community.
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 When many
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 patches of
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 soil are out
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 there and
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 there's many
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 seeds growing,
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 people are
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 hearing the
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 word of God
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 and some,
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 many,
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 they're all
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 beginning to
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 respond.
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 And while we
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 wait, we
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 know the
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 gospel has been
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 sown, we
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 continue to
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 sow it
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 everywhere.
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 We're united
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 by Jesus'
00:32:56 --> 00:32:58 word as a
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 people desperate
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 to see the
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 world around
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 us encounter
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 Jesus.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 We exist as a
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 church to
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 take God's
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 grace to us
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 and to sow
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 it into all
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 peoples.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 That is our
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 mission.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 And we long
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 to celebrate
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 the day of
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 harvest with
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 one person,
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 with ten,
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 with a
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 thousand.
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 Those who
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 accept the
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 word of
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 Jesus.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 We long
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 to welcome
00:33:26 --> 00:33:29 those into
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 a life of
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 sharing the
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 word alongside
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 us.
00:33:32 --> 00:33:34 Joy and
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 eternity.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 I told you
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 that when we
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 started, that
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 I stand here
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 today preaching
00:33:41 --> 00:33:43 the word because
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 some people
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 preached it to
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 me.
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 They showed
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 me that Jesus
00:33:47 --> 00:33:49 was the key to
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 unlocking the
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 words of God
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 God that I
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 had been
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 hearing as
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 I was
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 growing up.
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 It's like
00:33:54 --> 00:33:56 they were
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 banging on
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 the door,
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 screaming to
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 get my
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 attention.
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 attention.
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 It's like
00:34:04 --> 00:34:06 they could not
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 help but see
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 me in my
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 anxious,
00:34:10 --> 00:34:12 fearful state
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 trying to
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 piece together
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 with my
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 understanding and
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 the things that I
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 was getting when
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 I read the
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 Bible or hear it
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 at school or I
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 hear it from my
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 friends who
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 weren't keen on
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 it at all.
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 I didn't know
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 where to go but
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 that group of
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 people together,
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 they slipped
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 this key under
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 the door.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 They said
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 Jesus is the
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 way to unlock
00:34:32 --> 00:34:34 the kingdom
00:34:34 --> 00:34:37 so I could
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 find freedom
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 with God,
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 walk through
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 the door and
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 go and take
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 that key and
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 slip it under
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 more doors.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:47 I stand here
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 because of
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 Viv and
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 Steve and
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 Chris and
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53 Steve and
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 Stephen and
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 Louise,
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 lots of
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 steves in my
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 life growing
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 up,
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 just saying,
00:34:58 --> 00:35:00 but I
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 found the
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 key that
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 Jesus is
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 because they
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 gave it to
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 me.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 Who
00:35:08 --> 00:35:08 sowed the
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 gospel in
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 you?
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 What an
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 opportunity we
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 have to go
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 and do the
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 same.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 So we've
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 heard that
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 Jesus preached
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 in parables,
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 heard about
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 his kingdom
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 and heard
00:35:22 --> 00:35:22 about our
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 role in it
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 now.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 God's
00:35:26 --> 00:35:26 word.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 It's the
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 word that
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 unites us
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 here today.
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 It's the
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 word of
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 God that
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 is our
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 strength and
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 our courage,
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 our insight,
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 our refuge,
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 and our
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 message.
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 So wherever
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 you preach the
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 gospel, however
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 you do it in
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 word or deed,
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 wherever you
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 are, sow the
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 word in
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 abundance into
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 the field of
00:35:46 --> 00:35:48 chatwood and
00:35:48 --> 00:35:48 beyond.
00:35:48 --> 00:35:50 God's
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 and wait
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 patiently for
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 the harvest
00:35:52 --> 00:35:54 until we
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 get to sit
00:35:54 --> 00:35:56 with Jesus
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 and speak to
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 him face to
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 face.
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 Never miss a
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 chance to open
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 the Bible and
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 listen to him.
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 Keep going to
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 his word, having
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 faith and trust
00:36:07 --> 00:36:09 only in the
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 word of our
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 king.
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 Let's pray.
00:36:12 --> 00:36:18 Lord Jesus
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 Christ, we
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 hear your
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 word as you
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 speak.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 You are the
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 way for sinners
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 to come back
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 to their
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 maker.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 We thank you
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 that you
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 scattered the
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 seed of this
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 good news so
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 widely and
00:36:29 --> 00:36:31 graciously that
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 we can be
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 here to receive
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 it and sow
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 it today.
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 May many
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 here accept
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 your word for
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 the first time
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 today.
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 Enable us to
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 bear the fruit
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 of the gospel
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 in our lives
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 as we come
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 to hear you
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 speak every
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 Sunday, every
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 day, every
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 moment we
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 can.
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 And Jesus,
00:36:52 --> 00:36:52 may we never
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 miss the chance
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 to hear and
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 learn and
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 respond in
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 worship to
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 your word as
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 you lead us
00:36:59 --> 00:36:59 into your
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 eternal kingdom.
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 Amen.