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Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000039S
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00:23 Welcome to
00:23 Timeless Healing Insights. 00:24 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:27 The parables of Jesus, do 00:29 they have healing power for us 00:31 today? 00:32 That's the question 00:33 that we'll look at in 00:34 today's episode 00:35 as we continue our series, 00:37 Healing Insights 00:39 from the Gospel of Mark. 00:42 Father in Heaven, 00:43 we thank You so much 00:44 that we can trust You 00:45 to open Your Word to our minds. 00:48 Please do that for the preacher 00:50 and for all who hear. 00:51 For we ask it in 00:52 Jesus name, Amen. 00:57 Many, many years ago, 01:00 before the problems 01:03 with cigarette smoking 01:04 were so widely appreciated, 01:06 there was going to be 01:07 a large conference 01:09 for the public, 01:10 with medical experts 01:12 sharing the dangers 01:13 of tobacco smoking. 01:16 The organizers 01:17 made an interesting decision. 01:19 They invited an actor 01:22 to be the host 01:23 of the proceedings 01:24 and this particular emcee, 01:26 who wecall 01:27 Henry, 01:28 had an 01:29 interesting characteristic 01:31 in that he himself 01:33 was a cigarette smoker. 01:36 It was an extensive conference. 01:39 And as the presentations 01:40 went on, 01:41 they were talking about 01:42 lung cancer 01:43 and heart disease and stroke. 01:46 But finally, 01:48 a physician came to the stage. 01:51 As I recall, 01:51 it was a dermatologist, 01:54 to share 01:55 about a particular danger 01:58 of smoking that apparently 02:00 was not on Henry's 02:01 radar screen. 02:03 He was visibly shaken 02:06 when that presenter 02:07 explained how cigarette smoking 02:10 hastened aging of the skin. 02:15 And when Henry next came up 02:17 to the podium, 02:19 he said, 02:21 Wow, that was really scary. 02:23 I think I'm going to have to 02:25 consider stopping smoking. 02:27 Now, some of you smile 02:28 and you say, Oh, wait a minute, 02:30 They've been talking about what 02:32 lung cancer and heart 02:34 disease and stroke 02:35 and what was it 02:36 that got him thinking about his 02:38 need to quit ? 02:40 It was his skin. 02:42 You know, it's interesting. 02:45 In studying health behaviors, 02:47 we learned 02:48 that many people 02:49 are more motivated by things 02:51 that affect how they look, 02:52 feel or function, 02:54 than things 02:55 that affect their life span. 02:56 Isnឈhat interesting? 02:58 And so it was with Henry. 03:00 Now, I tell you that story 03:02 because a lot of information 03:04 was coming at Henry, 03:05 but it wasn't 03:05 connecting with him. 03:07 He wasn't 03:08 sensing his need to change 03:10 until something spoke to him 03:12 in a meaningful way. 03:14 And I like to suggest to you 03:17 that this is a common problem 03:19 that we have, the very things 03:20 we most need to hear, 03:22 sometimes we have barriers up. 03:24 We just don't hear them. 03:25 They don't register. 03:26 People don't want to talk 03:28 with us about them. 03:29 Just think about this scenario. 03:30 Let's say you have a friend 03:31 who enjoys motorcycling. 03:34 How likely is it that you're 03:35 going to give him a present, 03:37 a book 03:38 entitled The Dangers of Biking? 03:41 Is that very likely? 03:43 Or let's say 03:44 you're of Chinese ancestry. 03:46 Is it likely 03:46 that as you're walking 03:47 through Barnes and Noble, 03:48 if you see a book entitled 03:50 The Hazards of Chinese Cooking, 03:52 that that will immediately 03:53 be the first book 03:54 that you pick up? 03:55 You you're following 03:56 along with me, right? 03:57 So what's so interesting about 03:59 this is the same thing 04:00 is true in the spiritual realm. 04:02 Often 04:03 the things that we most need 04:04 to hear we 04:05 resistant to hearing. 04:06 And to bring spiritual truths 04:10 to us, 04:11 Jesus used 04:12 a very interesting method. 04:14 Some people have referred to it 04:16 as object lessons. 04:19 More simply, parables. 04:24 In Mark 4, 04:25 where we are at in our journey, 04:27 it actually begins 04:29 with Jesus teaching by the sea. 04:31 The account reads this way. 04:34 A very large 04:35 crowd gathered about Him, 04:37 we're speaking of Jesus, 04:38 so that He got into a boat 04:39 and sat in it on the sea. 04:42 And the whole crowd 04:43 was beside the sea on the land. 04:46 And He was teaching 04:47 them many things in parables. 04:52 We've been 04:53 going through 04:53 something interesting, 04:54 and I want you to notice 04:55 something. 04:56 Jesus뇉cus in His teaching, 04:58 according to Mark's 05:00 telling of the story, 05:01 seems to be changing. 05:03 His focus now 05:04 is on teaching in parables. 05:06 Now, this is not new in 05:07 Mark's Gospel. 05:09 We as we've been walking 05:11 through the first few chapters 05:12 of the Gospel of Mark, 05:13 we've seen that parables 05:14 have already been part 05:15 and parcel of Mark's 05:17 telling of the story. 05:19 And I want to remind you 05:20 of something 05:20 we looked at in our last study. 05:22 It's one of the 05:22 classic definitions of 05:24 just what a parable is. 05:26 It's from C.H. Dodd years ago. 05:28 He wrote this in his book, 05:29 The Parables of the Kingdom. 05:30 And I recommend it 05:32 for your consideration 05:33 again now. 05:34 At its simplest, 05:35 the parable is a metaphor 05:37 or simile drawn 05:39 from nature or common life, 05:41 arresting the hearer 05:43 by its vividness 05:45 or strangeness, 05:47 and leaving the mind 05:48 in sufficient doubt 05:49 to its precise application 05:52 as to 05:52 tease the mind 05:54 into active thought. 05:56 Now, you might say, Well, 05:57 there's better 05:58 definitions of parables, 05:59 but I think this helps us 06:00 to focus on this aspect 06:02 that Jesus, 06:04 as He starts 06:05 to transition 06:07 to a different style, 06:08 as His primary 06:09 method of teaching. 06:11 There's a special 06:11 reason for His doing so. 06:14 We've seen parables 06:15 already, as I mentioned, 06:18 when we looked at 06:18 some of the things 06:19 Jesus was being 06:20 accused of earlier 06:21 in the Gospel of Mark. 06:23 You'll remember that 06:23 one of the accusations was 06:25 that Jesus 06:26 諅sciples were not fasting. 06:29 And instead of Jesus 06:31 really directly attacking this 06:34 false charge, 06:36 Jesus responded 06:37 with three parables. 06:38 I'll just remind you 06:39 of the three parables, 06:39 because I think it's important 06:41 for our context 06:42 when we come to Mark 4. 06:44 Here's the parables 06:45 that Jesus gave in Mark 2. 06:47 Can the wedding guests fast 06:50 while the bridegroom 06:50 is with them? 06:51 As long as they have 06:53 the bridegroom with them, 06:54 they cannot fast. 06:56 The days will come 06:57 when the bridegroom 06:57 is taken away from them 06:59 and then they will fast 07:01 in that day. 07:03 Three parables, I said. 07:05 Here's the second. 07:07 No one. 07:08 No one sews 07:09 a piece of unshrunk cloth 07:11 on an old garment. 07:12 If he does, the patch tears 07:14 away from it, 07:15 the new from the old, 07:17 and a worse tear is made. 07:21 And then the third parable. 07:22 No one puts new wine 07:24 into old wineskins. 07:25 If he does, 07:26 the wine will burst the skins. 07:29 Not only do you lose the wine, 07:31 but you lose the skins as well. 07:33 New wine 07:34 is for fresh wineskins. 07:36 Why? 07:37 Why does Jesus 07:38 respond this way? 07:39 And why does He respond 07:40 in parables? 07:42 Jesus is basically saying early 07:44 in the Gospel of Mark, 07:45 as you see Him 07:46 working His miracles, 07:47 His kingdom is here. 07:48 There are people 07:49 that are receiving 07:50 that kingdom joyfully, 07:52 just like 07:54 the bridal guests 07:55 would receive the bridegroom. 07:57 But there's other people 07:59 that are outside the wedding. 08:00 They're not coming 08:01 into the feast. 08:03 If you want to come to Jesus, 08:04 we have to abandon 08:06 also the old ways, 08:07 the old obstacles 08:08 that keep us 08:09 from coming to Jesus. 08:11 So what we're seeing is that 08:12 Jesus is giving illustrations 08:15 to try to make that which 08:17 has been resisted 08:20 something that is 08:21 actually considered. 08:23 Mark 3, there's 08:25 another attack there 08:26 and then another parable. 08:27 This time 08:27 Jesus is being accused 08:29 of casting out demons 08:32 by the prince 08:33 of the demons, Satan, 08:34 or as they refer to him in Mark 08:36 3, Beelzebub. 08:37 Is that what Jesus was doing? 08:40 Well, Jesus again, doesn't 08:41 tackle this directly. 08:43 He, well, Mark 08:45 even uses the word. 08:46 It says, 08:47 He calls them to Himself 08:49 and He says to them 08:50 in parables. 08:52 What are the parables 08:53 He says in this context? 08:55 How can Satan cast out Satan 08:58 if a kingdom is divided 08:59 against itself, 09:00 that kingdom cannot stand. 09:02 No one can enter 09:03 into a strong man's house 09:05 and plunder his goods 09:06 unless he first binds 09:09 the strong man, 09:10 and then he will plunder 09:12 his house. 09:13 Two parables. 09:16 There's some key aspects 09:17 of these parables right? 09:19 Jesus듌ghty deeds show 09:21 His kingdom has arrived, okay? 09:24 We might say 09:25 in today's language, 09:26 Jesus is talking about 09:27 the great controversy. 09:28 There's a battle 09:29 and Jesus is showing 09:31 that I'm coming on 09:32 to planet earth in person 09:34 and I am gaining the victory. 09:35 I'm healing. 09:37 I'm casting out demons. 09:39 I am teaching. 09:41 I am forgiving sin. 09:42 We've seen 09:43 all these things right 09:44 at the very beginning 09:45 of Mark's gospel. 09:46 People are resisting it 09:48 and Jesus is saying, Wait, 09:49 there's only two sides 09:52 and you've got to choose 09:53 which side side you're on. 09:54 You can't just call 09:56 what I'm doing 09:57 the work of Satan. 09:58 It doesn't make sense. 10:01 Now, some of you had a question 10:04 about what 10:04 we touched on 10:05 in our last study, 10:06 because in this context, 10:07 in this parable 10:08 context in Mark 3, 10:10 Jesus speaks about 10:12 what is sometimes 10:13 called the sin 10:13 against the Holy Spirit 10:14 or blasphemy 10:15 against the Holy Spirit. 10:17 And I want to take a minute 10:18 with it, 10:18 a minute 10:19 with this 10:20 explanation, 10:21 because it 10:22 flew by pretty quickly. 10:23 And I want to back up 10:25 because I'm listening to you 10:26 and some of you said 10:27 no, slow that down 10:29 because I still got 10:30 some questions about it. 10:31 So let's 10:31 see if we can make this 10:32 a little bit 10:32 more understandable 10:33 in the context of parables. 10:35 So back to Jesus뤨rds 10:36 in Mark 3:28 and 30. 10:39 He just told those two parables 10:41 about Satan 10:42 can't cast out Satan. 10:44 And if you're going to conquer 10:45 a strong man, 10:46 you've got to 10:46 bind him up first. 10:47 If you're going to 10:47 get his goods. 10:48 Now, here's what He says. 10:50 Assuredly, I say to you, 10:52 all sins 10:54 will be forgiven 10:55 the sons of men, 10:56 and whatever 10:57 blasphemies they may utter; 10:58 So let's just stop right here. 11:00 Jesus is first saying 11:02 there is no sin. 11:03 There's no category of sin 11:06 that cannot be forgiven. 11:07 Is that clear 11:08 what He just said there? 11:09 No category of sin. 11:10 All sins will be forgiven. 11:12 I mean, of course, the, He's 11:13 not going through 11:14 the whole plan 11:14 of salvation here, 11:15 but we need to be convicted 11:17 of the sin. We need to repent. 11:18 We need to walk away from it. 11:20 But the point is, 11:21 there is no category of sin 11:22 that can't be forgiven. 11:23 But then you say, 11:24 but wait a minute. 11:25 But then He says, 11:25 but he who blasphemes 11:27 against the Holy Spirit 11:28 never has forgiveness, 11:31 but is subject to 11:32 eternal condemnation. 11:35 Now, on the surface, it 11:36 seems like 11:37 a contradiction, doesn't it? 11:38 If He says, first, He says, 11:40 whatever blasphemies 11:42 are uttered, they what? 11:44 Will be forgiven? 11:46 And then He says, 11:47 But there's blasphemy 11:48 that won't be forgiven. 11:49 Well, 11:50 how do you make sense of this? 11:52 Mark explains it 11:54 in the words 11:54 that I've highlighted, 11:56 because they said, 11:58 “He has an unclean spirit.” 12:01 The essence of the blasphemy 12:04 against the Holy Spirit. 12:05 The essence of the, quote, 12:07 unpardonable sin, 12:09 is when we're attributing 12:11 to God the work of Satan. 12:19 Been reading through 12:19 a number of commentaries 12:21 or referring to them, 12:22 I shouldn't say 12:23 reading through, 12:24 as we go 12:24 through our journey on Mark. 12:26 It doesn't mean 12:27 they're inspired, 12:27 but it's nice to to hear 12:29 what other people have 12:30 have wrestled with and 12:32 and studied. 12:33 The Word, 12:34 yes, interprets itself. 12:36 But God values preaching. 12:38 And so 12:39 commentaries are a form of 12:40 written preaching, right? 12:42 And so 12:44 I like how Garland put it. 12:46 It's not a single action. 12:48 We're speaking about the sin 12:49 against the Holy Spirit. 12:51 It is not a single action, 12:52 but a continual state 12:55 of spurning the Spirit's work. 13:00 He goes on, he says this, 13:03 If one understands 13:05 the so-called unforgivable sin 13:08 as deliberately scorning 13:10 the power 13:10 and forgiveness of God, 13:12 one can perhaps 13:13 help those in the church 13:15 who become worried 13:16 or even terror 13:16 stricken 13:17 that they have committed 13:18 some sin that is unpardonable. 13:20 His point is it's 13:21 not a type of sin, 13:22 this unpardonable. 13:24 It's this persistent 13:25 rebellion, the persistent act 13:28 of attributing the works of God 13:30 to Satan. 13:31 The Holy Spirit 13:32 is speaking to your heart, 13:33 Heaying, 13:33 Walk away from this; leave - 13:35 No, no, that's not. 13:36 That's not God speaking to me. 13:38 No, I need to keep 13:39 doing this sin. 13:40 It's perfectly fine. 13:42 It's fine for me to do this. 13:43 The Holy Spirit says no. 13:44 Walk away from that. 13:45 Break free. 13:46 I'll give you the power 13:47 to break free. 13:48 No, no, that's not God. 13:49 Do you see the pattern? 13:50 God will always 13:51 accept the repentant. 13:53 But if you refuse 13:54 the Holy Spirit's work in you, 13:56 which includes 13:57 calling us to repent, 13:59 then we can't be 14:00 convicted of sin. 14:01 We can't repent. Right? 14:03 The Holy Spirit is 14:04 is working on your heart. 14:05 You say, No, no, no. 14:06 I don't want to hear 14:07 the Holy Spirit. 14:07 I'm not going to allow 14:08 the Holy Spirit to work. 14:09 That is the essence of this sin 14:12 against the Holy Spirit. 14:13 Let me just 14:13 clarify the issues for you. 14:14 We could have a whole 14:15 Bible study on this, 14:16 but we're trying to 14:17 to put it 14:17 in the context of the parables 14:19 and why Jesus gives 14:20 these illustrations. 14:21 He's trying to 14:22 make these things 14:22 especially practical for us. 14:25 And Jesus says this 14:26 about His willingness 14:27 to forgive 14:28 if there's any question 14:29 about that 14:29 multiple Bible verses. 14:31 But here's one in John 6:37, 14:33 The one who comes to Me, 14:35 I will what? 14:36 In no means cast out. 14:38 So right now 14:39 you can take this verse 14:40 to the bank. 14:40 It doesn't matter 14:41 what you've done in your past, 14:43 you can come to Jesus 14:44 just as you are. 14:45 And what does He say? 14:47 He says, I'll no wise 14:48 cast you out. You can come. 14:51 But. 14:52 But 14:55 we got to be very careful 14:56 if we're pushing 14:57 away from the Holy Spirit. 14:59 Jesus said 15:00 this of the Holy Spirit 15:01 in John 16, 15:01 and there's other places 15:02 that speak of this 15:03 work, of the Spirit. 15:04 He says, I will send Him [the 15:06 Holy Spirit] to you. 15:07 When He has come, 15:08 He will do what? 15:10 He'll convict the world of sin, 15:13 and of righteousness, 15:14 and of judgment. 15:15 He is the convicting agency. 15:18 So if I don't allow the 15:19 Holy Spirit to work, 15:20 I can't be convicted, 15:22 I won't repent, 15:23 I won't come to Jesus. 15:25 So in essence, 15:26 the sin that can't be forgiven 15:28 is the sin that doesn't 15:30 ask for forgiveness, okay? 15:32 Does that make it 15:34 a little bit 15:34 more understandable? 15:38 So with that background, 15:39 I want you to step back now 15:40 and look, we've 15:41 looked at the parable 15:42 so far 15:42 that have come up in Mark 15:43 2 and 3. 15:44 Mark 4 is a concentrated 15:46 focus on Jesus 15:47 醱aching and parables. 15:48 And I want you to notice this 15:49 in chapters 2 15:50 and 3 of the Gospel of Mark. 15:52 We have seen 15:53 a few common denominators. 15:55 The first one is 15:56 we've come 15:58 basically to hear 15:58 Jesus telling us 16:00 that I personally 16:01 that you collectively 16:02 have to accept the work 16:03 of the Holy Spirit 16:04 and His invitation 16:06 to come with Jesus 16:08 to come 16:09 into the marriage supper. 16:10 He's inviting you to come. 16:12 And the second thing, 16:13 we have to let go 16:14 of our old sinful ways. 16:16 We have to reject 16:17 the working 16:18 of Satan in our lives. 16:19 That's what these parables 16:20 are telling us. 16:21 And so with that background, 16:23 the stage is set for Mark 4. 16:24 And in Mark 4, 16:26 we're going to see that 16:27 there's a decided change. 16:29 There's a swing 16:30 in Mark's Gospel 16:32 where the focus becomes 16:34 parable teaching, 16:35 and we see that 16:36 very graphically in chapter 4. 16:38 One of the books 16:39 that I think so 16:40 eloquently speaks about 16:41 this is one 16:42 that may be on your bookshelf, 16:43 if you're really interested 16:44 in studying the 16:45 parables, I would encourage you 16:47 to pull it off the bookshelf. 16:49 If you've never heard 16:49 of Christ's Object Lessons, 16:52 pick up a copy. 16:53 It goes into detail 16:55 about parables 16:56 and Jesus똑rable teaching. 16:57 Let me just 16:58 share a little bit 16:59 from that book. 17:00 This is from page 17. 17:01 In Christ's parable teaching, 17:04 the same principle is seen 17:06 as in His own mission 17:08 to the world. 17:08 That we might become acquainted 17:10 with His divine character 17:12 and life, 17:12 Christ took our nature 17:14 and dwelt among us. 17:16 Divinity was revealed 17:17 in humanity, 17:18 the invisible glory 17:20 in the visible human form. 17:22 So we're talking 17:22 about this theme, 17:23 whether it's a lecture 17:25 on the dangers of smoking 17:26 or whether it's Jesus 17:28 teaching His Word, 17:30 we tend to be resistant. 17:32 We don't hear things. 17:33 And so Jesus, 17:34 instead of 17:35 coming down 17:36 in this blaze of glory, 17:37 He comes down as a human 17:40 and He tries to illustrate 17:41 these spiritual truths 17:44 in simple illustrations. 17:47 Men could learn of the unknown 17:49 through the known; 17:50 heavenly things were revealed 17:53 through the earthly; 17:54 God was made manifest 17:55 in the likeness of men. 17:58 So it was in Christ's teaching: 18:01 the unknown was illustrated 18:02 by the known; 18:03 divine truths by earthly things 18:06 with which the people 18:08 were most familiar. 18:11 So let's take a 18:12 look at what Jesus 18:14 has this laser focus on. 18:16 But 18:18 it comes in Mark 4. 18:19 And if you've been 18:20 following along, 18:21 I think it's 18:22 especially interesting 18:24 that we see this emphasis 18:25 on parable 18:26 teaching at that point. 18:29 Notice something with me 18:31 from the Apostle Paul. 18:33 Paul tells us that 18:34 there is an amazing light 18:36 that is shined 18:38 on our path, okay? 18:41 It is shining right now. 18:42 It is shown in the past. 18:43 This light is 18:47 one place seen in creation. 18:49 Romans 1:20 says it this way. 18:52 For His invisible attributes, 18:54 namely, His eternal power 18:56 and divine 18:57 nature have been what 18:58 clearly perceived, 19:01 ever since 19:01 the creation of the world 19:03 in the things 19:03 that have been made. 19:04 So what Paul is saying 19:05 is one way 19:07 we connect 19:08 with the God of heaven. 19:09 No, nature is not a 19:10 perfect revelation. 19:13 The Bible gives us 19:14 a perfect revelation. 19:15 We see it in Jesus 19:16 踽fe and ministry, 19:17 but nature actually sheds 19:19 light on God's character. 19:21 And what is Jesus 19:22 doing in His parables? 19:23 Many of the parables 19:24 are focused on what? 19:25 On nature, okay? 19:28 Jesus points to creation. 19:30 Often 19:31 it is parables, 19:31 and we'll see it in 19:32 multiple examples in Mark 4. 19:35 He's using illustrations 19:36 that everyone could relate to. 19:38 And if someone's 19:38 telling you a story 19:40 about a sower 19:41 or a plant growing, 19:42 how many of you are thinking 19:43 about your bad habits? 19:46 Or how many of you are thinking 19:47 about great spiritual truths? 19:49 I mean, it's very disarming, 19:50 isn't it? 19:51 Jesus is just going 19:51 to tell you a story. 19:52 I don't know 19:53 if you've ever noticed this, 19:55 but if you're looking around 19:56 at the congregation 19:57 and the Pastor 19:58 ᄅeaching from the Bible 19:59 and putting these scripture 20:00 texts up 20:01 and you might see people 20:02 dozing off 20:03 and, you know, 20:04 some people talking 20:05 among themselves and, 20:06 you know, 20:07 maybe someone else, 20:08 you're looking at the ceiling. 20:09 But the minute 20:10 someone starts to tell a story, 20:13 have you noticed? 20:13 Things change, okay? 20:16 And some of you are helping me 20:17 illustrate this right now. 20:18 You're saying 20:19 you're not telling a story, 20:19 so I'm going to fall asleep. 20:21 But the point is it 20:23 also cause you 20:23 to drop your defenses, right? 20:25 You're just 20:25 you're just drawn 20:26 into the story. 20:26 What's going to happen? 20:28 Jesus desired 20:29 to awaken inquiry. 20:32 He sought to arouse 20:33 the careless, and impress 20:34 truth upon the heart. 20:35 Parable teaching was popular, 20:37 it commanded the respect 20:39 and attention 20:39 not only of the Jews, 20:41 but people of other nations. 20:42 So Jesus, 20:43 who's coming for all 20:44 nations, He's going to do what? 20:46 He is going to teach 20:48 in parables. 20:50 He had truths 20:51 that people were not ready 20:52 to accept or understand. 20:55 And He connects his teaching 20:57 with nature, 20:58 with the scenes of life, 21:00 with experience. 21:02 And this way, He's driving home 21:04 His lessons. 21:05 What's the value of this? 21:07 Not only do they listen, 21:09 but then when 21:10 you're out walking 21:12 and you see some 21:13 of those scenes, 21:14 what do you call to mind? 21:16 The very things 21:17 that Jesus shared. 21:21 These are some 21:22 profound insights, 21:24 but there's other reasons 21:26 why Jesus shared what He did. 21:28 Other reasons why 21:29 Jesus shared what He did. 21:31 And there were people, 21:33 as we've seen in Mark 3. 21:35 Let's go back there 21:36 just for a minute. 21:36 For some of you 21:37 who've not been 21:38 with us from the beginning, 21:38 I just want you to see this. 21:40 Because in Mark 3, 21:41 Jesus has been working, 21:43 doing these acts of mercy, 21:45 acts of healing, acts of power. 21:47 The kingdom is here, 21:48 His acts are declaring. 21:50 And when Jesus works a miracle 21:53 in the synagogue 21:54 on the Sabbath day, 21:55 it says in Mark 3:6, 21:59 Then the Pharisees went out 22:01 and immediately 22:03 plotted with the Herodians 22:04 against Him, 22:06 how they might do what? 22:08 Destroy Him. 22:10 So what's going on here? 22:11 There's spies following Jesus. 22:14 They're watching Him 22:15 wherever He goes. 22:16 Jesus understood this, 22:18 and now He's going to start 22:19 presenting His lessons 22:21 in ways 22:21 that they can't 22:22 so easily attack. 22:23 He's going to present it 22:24 in story form, story form. 22:30 Let me point out one 22:31 last thing for you 22:32 that I think is important 22:33 in understanding the context. 22:36 If you look at Mark 2 22:38 and 3, 22:38 and we just looked 22:39 at the beginning of Mark 22:40 3, and I mentioned to you 22:42 this was in the context 22:43 of Jesus 22:44 being Lord of the Sabbath. 22:46 You see this theme 22:46 beginning in Mark 2:23. 22:50 There are a number 22:50 of criticisms 22:51 that are leveled at Jesus 22:53 about what 22:54 He or His disciples 22:56 were doing on the Sabbath day. 22:58 So now look at this 22:59 very insightful commentary 23:02 in the book 23:03 Christ Object Lessons. 23:04 Christ's purpose 23:06 in parable 23:07 teaching was in direct line 23:09 with the purpose 23:10 of the Sabbath. 23:11 So think about this. 23:12 So the context as we're 23:13 coming to Mark 4 23:14 is Jesus is working miracles. 23:16 He's doing miracles 23:17 on the Sabbath, 23:19 on the day 23:19 that is to point back 23:22 to the Creator at this point 23:25 in time, right? 23:26 The Sabbath was set up 23:27 from the beginning 23:28 before there ever was a Jew. 23:29 Genesis 1, 2, 23:31 you read those chapters 23:33 of the creation 23:34 God sets aside that day. 23:36 He sanctifies the Sabbath. 23:38 And what is He doing? 23:39 He's healing on the Sabbath. 23:41 He's showing that 23:41 it's appropriate 23:42 to heal, to minister 23:43 to needs on the Sabbath, 23:45 and His enemies 23:46 are pushing against that. 23:48 And so Jesus can't openly teach 23:52 and do all that 23:53 He wants to do on the Sabbath. 23:55 And there's other references 23:56 in the Bible 23:56 that illustrate this. 23:57 So what He begins to do 24:00 is He calls attention 24:02 to His lordship over creation 24:05 through the parables. 24:06 Yes, the Sabbath bids us 24:09 remember our Creator, 24:10 but so do Jesus똑rables. 24:12 And so we'll see that 24:13 He's going to draw 24:14 especially 24:15 from the things of nature 24:17 as we look 24:18 at these powerful lessons. 24:21 One other important point, 24:23 one other important point. 24:25 It wasn't just 24:26 nature that Jesus drew from. 24:29 Christ has linked His teaching, 24:31 not only with the day of rest, 24:33 but with the week of toil. 24:35 He has wisdom for him 24:37 who drives the plow 24:39 and sows 24:40 the seed 24:41 in every line of useful labor 24:42 in every association of life, 24:44 He desires us to find 24:45 a lesson of divine truth. 24:47 Then our daily toil 24:49 will no longer 24:50 absorb our attention 24:51 and lead us to forget God; 24:53 It will continually remind us 24:55 of our Creator and Redeemer. 24:57 So here's the lesson 24:57 I want you to take, 24:58 because we're going to 24:58 look at some stories 25:00 that may not be relevant to 25:01 you today. 25:02 You may say, Well, 25:03 I'm an auto mechanic. 25:04 I mean, what is 25:04 what is sowing 25:05 have to do with me? 25:07 Or, you know, 25:08 what is this stuff about, 25:10 you know, wineskins and stuff? 25:11 I don't drink wine. 25:13 I mean, 25:13 how does that relate to me? 25:15 Think in terms 25:16 of the things in your life 25:18 and how do you see parallels 25:20 with how God's working. 25:21 So that in every line of life 25:24 you connect with the Savior. 25:26 Jesus is wanting to do that. 25:28 He's wanting to infuse His life 25:31 into your life story. 25:33 He's wanting you to 25:34 make those connections. 25:38 Now I want you 25:39 to see one last thing 25:42 as we 25:43 finish this portion 25:44 of the message. 25:45 Turn your Bibles 25:47 back to chapter 4 25:50 of the Gospel of Mark. 25:53 I want you to notice that 25:55 in spite 25:56 of all the opposition 25:59 that Jesus has been facing, 26:01 it says, 26:01 a great 26:03 multitude was gathered to Him. 26:06 And I would suggest to you, 26:07 if you don't let the things 26:08 of this world 26:10 eclipse your vision 26:12 as you engage 26:13 with Jesus in His Word, 26:14 you too will be drawn to Him 26:16 and a great crowd 26:18 will be drawn to Jesus 26:20 and His amazing teaching. 26:26 Jesus used 26:27 the practical things of life 26:29 to illustrate our great need, 26:30 our great need of Him. 26:32 We're also here at Timeless 26:34 Healing Insights to help you 26:35 with your great needs in life. 26:37 Visit our website 26:38 for special tools to help you 26:41 with your health. 26:42 Check out our 30 Days 26:44 to Better Health 26:45 Lifestyle Program, 26:46 a free lifestyle 26:47 program to aid you 26:48 on your journey to health. 26:50 Let's pray together. 26:52 Father in heaven, 26:53 thank You for Your Word. 26:54 Thank You 26:55 for the practical nature 26:56 of the Scriptures. 26:58 Please help us to engage 26:59 on a daily basis 27:01 with those healing words. 27:03 May Your Spirit drive 27:04 us to the Word 27:05 and give us insights 27:07 that change our lives. 27:08 We ask in Jesus name, Amen. 27:13 Timeless Healing Insights 27:15 is here for you 27:16 and for your whole person 27:17 health. 27:18 With that in mind, 27:18 we invite you to go 27:19 to our website, 27:22 www.TimelessHealingInsights.org. 27:26 There you will find a free 27:28 30 day lifestyle program. 27:29 Sign up for it 27:30 and you'll get daily 27:32 email reminders for 30 days. 27:35 Links to short videos 27:36 to give you pointers 27:38 on a healthier lifestyle. 27:40 On our website 27:41 you can also find information 27:43 about this broadcast. 27:44 You can connect 27:45 with our handouts. 27:46 You can review archives 27:48 from episodes of Timeless 27:49 Healing Insights, TV 27:51 that you have missed. 27:53 Continued success to you. 27:54 I'll see you at 27:55 TimelessHealingInsights.org. |
Revised 2023-05-23