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Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000043S
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00:22 Welcome to the
00:23 Timeless Healing Insights. 00:24 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:26 Today, we continue our series 00:28 going through the 00:28 gospel of Mark, 00:29 looking for healing insights. 00:31 In this episode, 00:32 we especially 00:33 look at one of the things 00:34 that is so needful 00:35 in today's world. 00:36 In this world of stress 00:38 and anguish and challenge, 00:40 Jesus especially 00:41 wants to minister Peace. 00:43 As we engage with the world, 00:45 let us look to hear 00:47 God's words of peace 00:48 speaking to our hearts. 00:51 Father in Heaven, 00:52 we thank You so much 00:53 that You are 00:55 not only our loving Father, 00:57 but You are our glorious 01:00 Savior. 01:01 Father, we are so thankful 01:03 that You let light 01:04 shine on Your word. 01:05 And as we've been going 01:05 through the gospel of Mark, 01:07 You've been doing that. 01:08 Please do that again. 01:09 We ask through the power 01:10 of your Holy Spirit. 01:12 In Jesus name, we pray. 01:14 Amen. 01:22 I'll tell you, 01:24 things were grim for Louise, 01:27 she lay dying in her bed, 01:29 but her heart 01:30 still went out to her family 01:32 and she wanted one 01:33 last opportunity 01:35 to come close to her children. 01:38 And so it was as she was 01:39 laying in her room, 01:41 she requested 01:42 that each of the children 01:44 see her individually. 01:46 So first, her eldest 01:48 son came in, 01:50 and as Louise visited with him, 01:54 she shared a secret. 01:56 She said, 01:56 don't tell 01:57 any of your other siblings, 02:00 but you were always 02:02 my favorite child. 02:06 Well, after he left 02:08 the room, 02:09 the next child came in. 02:11 And so with the third, 02:13 on through the list. 02:16 Unbeknownst to all of them, 02:19 Louise had entrusted 02:21 the same secret to each one. 02:24 Because years later, 02:25 I don't know what 02:26 the setting was, 02:27 but somehow it came out 02:28 and one of them divulged 02:31 that their mother had said that 02:32 they were the favorite child. 02:35 And then it dawned on them. 02:37 Louise had told every 02:39 one of her children 02:40 that they were her 02:42 favorite child. 02:45 Now, some of you smile, 02:46 others of you 02:47 look a little more somber 02:49 because you say, well, 02:51 was she being dishonest? 02:53 Here we are in church. 02:54 Some of you mothers 02:55 I see shaking your heads no. 02:58 Each of them 02:59 likely was her favorite 03:01 in a different way. 03:03 And I'd like you to consider 03:04 an interesting commentary 03:06 on a parable 03:07 not recorded in Mark's gospel. 03:10 So we've just spent 03:11 a lot of time 03:11 looking at Mark 4. 03:13 And there Mark 03:14 shares a day in Jesus둝fe 03:16 where all He did 03:17 was teach in parables. 03:18 But interestingly, 03:20 Mark is not the gospel writer 03:22 that has the most parables 03:25 for us. 03:26 Matthew and Luke contain 03:28 far more parables 03:29 in their accounts 03:30 of Jesus듌nistry 03:31 than Mark does. 03:32 In one of those accounts, 03:34 we read the Parable 03:36 of the talents. 03:37 By the way, 03:38 both Matthew 03:39 and Luke record versions 03:40 of this parable. 03:42 And in that book, Christ 03:43 Object Lessons 03:44 that I pointed you to 03:45 in our last study together, 03:47 this excellent study 03:49 on the parables of Jesus. 03:50 We read these words 03:52 “Christ's followers 03:54 have been redeemed for service. 03:56 Our Lord teaches 03:57 that the true 03:58 object of life is ministry. 04:00 Each has his place 04:01 in the eternal plan of Heaven. 04:03 Each is to work in cooperation 04:05 with Christ 04:07 for the salvation of souls. 04:10 Not more surely is 04:11 the place prepared for us 04:13 in the heavenly mansions 04:14 than is the special place 04:16 designated on Earth 04:18 where we are to work 04:19 for God.” Yes. 04:21 I believe that is so true. 04:23 And today, 04:24 if you are sensing perhaps, 04:26 maybe you're not God's 04:27 favorite child, 04:29 I would ask you to re-examine 04:32 that assessment. 04:33 God has a special place 04:35 on this planet for you. 04:38 Well, in the context of Jesus 04:41 and Mark's gospel, 04:42 we've been seeing that Jesus. 04:44 Well, he had come under fire, 04:46 even though all He seemed 04:47 focused on doing 04:48 was ministering to people, 04:50 healing them, teaching them. 04:53 And as we been 04:54 walking through 04:55 Mark's gospel, 04:56 we realize that Jesus has been 04:58 giving us 04:59 some insights 05:00 into who His favorites 05:01 really are. 05:03 In Mark 3, you might remember. 05:06 Jesus is teaching, 05:08 preaching, 05:09 and the word comes to Him. 05:11 Your mother 05:12 and brothers 05:13 are waiting for You. 05:15 And Jesus responds 05:16 this way in Mark 05:17 3:33 and onward. 05:20 Who are My mother 05:21 and My brothers? 05:22 And looking about 05:23 at those who sat around Him, 05:25 those listening to His word. 05:27 He said, 05:28 Here are My mother 05:29 and My brothers 05:31 for whoever does 05:32 the will of God, 05:34 he is My brother and My sister 05:37 and My mother. 05:39 What point was Jesus making? 05:43 Do you see 05:43 what was it to be 05:45 one of Jesus놻vorites? 05:46 You just had to respond. 05:48 You just had to be there. 05:50 Okay. 05:51 They didn't have to 05:51 accomplish anything. 05:52 They just had to be willing 05:54 to be in Jesus똢esence 05:55 and to do His will. 05:58 That's what Jesus said. 06:01 But we see more 06:02 as we've gone through 06:03 Mark's gospel, 06:04 those first four chapters. 06:05 We see more about 06:07 these insiders 06:08 who may call them favorites 06:09 and outsiders. 06:10 Jesus uses 06:11 that very terminology. 06:13 In Mark 4, 06:14 He has been 06:15 telling parables. 06:17 We had read, 06:18 if you recall, the first nine 06:21 verses of Mark, Chapter four, 06:23 The Parable of the Sower, 06:25 and Jesus 06:26 then says this the context 06:28 He is alone. 06:29 That's what Mark records. 06:31 The 12 06:32 and the others around Him 06:34 asked Him about the parables. 06:36 So there are some 06:37 that are pressing 06:38 close to Jesus, 06:39 some that want to 06:40 hear His words, 06:40 some that want to engage 06:41 with Jesus. 06:43 And they ask 06:44 Jesus more about this 06:45 parable of the sower. 06:46 And Jesus says simply this. 06:48 “The secret 06:49 of the Kingdom of God 06:50 has been given to you. 06:52 But to those on the outside 06:56 everything is said in parables 06:59 so that what? They may 07:02 be ever seeing 07:04 but never perceiving 07:06 and ever hearing 07:07 but never understanding. 07:09 So the point is, 07:10 Jesus is saying there's a group 07:11 that's inside 07:12 that's close to Him 07:13 and a group that's outside. 07:15 They seem to have a regard 07:16 on a certain level 07:17 for spiritual things, 07:18 but they're not 07:19 pressing close to Jesus. 07:21 And if they're 07:21 not pressing close to Him, 07:23 the very words of Jesus can 07:24 be confusing and misleading. 07:29 Who are Jesus놻vorites? 07:31 Well, at the bottom line, 07:34 every one of us is 07:35 Jesus놻vorites. 07:37 Everyone who responds 07:38 to the gospel 07:39 invitation, 07:40 everyone who accepts Him 07:42 as their savior 07:43 and who obeys His word, 07:45 come in a special fellowship 07:46 with Jesus. 07:48 And we could 07:48 look at many Bible verses 07:49 that touch on this. 07:50 But this is really what 07:51 we've been seeing. 07:52 If you haven't sensed this, 07:53 this is really undergirding 07:56 Mark's gospel. 07:58 Jesus loved what? 08:00 The whole world. 08:01 So did the Father. 08:03 John 3:16, says as much, right? 08:05 God so loved who? 08:07 The world. 08:08 All humanity. 08:10 And in 2 Peter, 08:11 we read that 08:12 God is not willing that what? 08:14 Any should perish. 08:15 Every one of you is precious 08:17 to God. 08:18 Every one of you 08:19 is among God's favorites. 08:21 We saw this in the Parable 08:23 of the sower, didn't we? 08:24 We brought to light 08:26 this amazing story really. 08:28 We read it. 08:29 We don't think 08:29 about the cultural context. 08:31 But in the days of Jesus, no 08:33 sower would go out 08:34 and just start filling in 08:35 the seed everywhere. 08:37 Right? 08:38 I mean, seed was expensive. 08:39 You were trying to get the best 08:40 return on your investment 08:42 so you wouldn't 08:43 throw seed on the pathway. 08:45 You wouldn't 08:46 throw seed in the stony places. 08:48 But why does 08:49 Jesus illustrate it that way? 08:51 Because the heavenly Sower 08:53 is sowing 08:54 into every type of soil. 08:56 The harvest doesn't rest 08:58 with the sower. 08:59 It rests 09:00 with those who are receiving 09:02 the word. 09:03 So the Sower that sowes 09:04 the word is Jesus, 09:06 God, the Father 09:07 giving His word to everyone. 09:09 But it's up to us 09:10 whether we will receive it 09:12 or not. 09:12 And we looked at the elements 09:16 that will keep the harvest 09:18 from occurring. 09:20 What is it? 09:21 It's not the sowerroblem. 09:22 It's the soil. 09:24 It's not fully doing 09:25 the will of God. 09:26 It's not fully letting God have 09:28 His word 09:30 have itull 09:31 place in our lives. 09:32 Look at the list. 09:33 If we were to summarize 09:35 something 09:35 that we already touched on 09:36 in a previous study 09:37 Mark 4:17-19, 09:39 what is it 09:40 that gets in the way of us 09:42 bearing fruit for the master? 09:44 It's the cares of the world. 09:46 It's the deceitfulness 09:48 of riches. 09:49 It's desire for other things. 09:51 And it's discouragement, 09:53 lack of faith 09:54 in the face of challenges, 09:55 tribulation and persecution. 09:58 So this is Jesus댓lustration, 10:00 and He's trying to help us see 10:02 these dimensions. 10:03 Those who respond, those 10:05 who choose to be a part of 10:06 God's inside group 10:08 are the ones who, what? 10:11 Actually bear fruit. 10:13 That's where the harvest comes. 10:15 And so this is intertwined 10:16 in Mark's gospel. 10:18 And so I hope you're 10:18 seeing this, that 10:19 from the beginning 10:20 of his gospel, 10:21 we're seeing this picture 10:22 of social connectedness 10:24 of a God who does what? 10:26 A God who ministers to all 10:28 but a God who requires us 10:30 to respond. 10:31 And this theme carries 10:33 throughout the gospel of Mark. 10:36 Did you notice in Mark 10:38 4:20 when Jesus 10:39 is explaining the parable, 10:42 He says, Those 10:42 who hear the word 10:44 and accept it, they bear fruit. 10:46 Now notice the magnitude 10:49 of productivity that arises. 10:52 It's not just 30 fold for all. 10:55 Some get 60 fold, 10:56 some 100 fold. 10:58 Here's the question 10:59 now for you. 11:00 In the gospel of Mark, 11:01 is there any other place 11:03 that talks about 11:04 100 fold 11:05 return on an investment? 11:08 We will get there ultimately. 11:09 But right now, 11:10 I want you to see this 11:11 because I'm 11:12 trying to help you see the 11:13 the context 11:14 of the gospel of Mark. 11:15 I know some of you were saying, 11:16 wait, wait, wait, 11:16 we're already in chapter four. 11:18 And this is seeming 11:19 like a slower process 11:20 than it could be. 11:21 I mean, Mark is 11:22 16 chapters 11:23 and we're barely through 11:24 about a quarter 11:25 of Mark's gospel. 11:26 And some of you are looking 11:27 and you're saying, well, 11:28 this might be a study 11:29 that goes on 11:30 for a number of years 11:31 at this rate. 11:32 But I want you to really see 11:34 that Mark's gospel 11:35 did not occur in a vacuum. 11:37 Do you remember historically, 11:39 Mark's gospel is the first 11:42 gospel written. 11:44 Turn in your Bible 11:45 just for a minute, 11:46 I want you to remember this. 11:47 Go to the 11:48 last words 11:50 of the Old Testament. 11:52 That's the book of Malachi 11:53 if you were wondering. 11:55 Malachi 4. 11:57 Malachi 4. 11:59 And as Malachi is closing 12:01 the last two verses 12:02 of the old Testament, 12:04 verse five, 12:05 chapter four of Malachi, 12:06 Behold, 12:08 I will send you 12:09 Elijah the Prophet. 12:12 And when the New 12:13 Testament starts 12:14 with the story of Jesus, 12:15 the first 12:16 gospel written 12:17 is the Gospel of Mark. 12:19 And when Mark 12:19 begins his gospel, 12:20 he only begins it 12:22 exactly where the Old Testament 12:25 leaves off. 12:26 There's no story of 12:27 Jesus뀇rth. 12:28 There's 12:29 no story of the miracles 12:30 surrounding it. 12:31 All those are important. 12:32 And the Holy Spirit 12:33 would move on Matthew 12:34 and Luke 12:35 to record those details. 12:36 But in Mark, 12:37 as the Gospel opens up 12:38 Mark 1, 12:39 how does Mark begin his story? 12:42 This is review, yes, 12:44 but he begins his story 12:45 with what? 12:46 Verse two as it is written. 12:48 Behold, I send my messenger 12:50 before your face 12:51 and as we read through 12:53 Mark's gospel 12:53 and through the other gospels, 12:54 it becomes clear 12:56 that the Elijah, 12:57 who was promised 12:58 to come at the close 13:00 of the Old Testament, 13:01 is the very one 13:03 with whom 13:03 Mark begins his gospel. 13:05 So I'm trying to help 13:06 you see that 13:07 as we begin Mark's gospel, 13:09 even though 13:09 we're four chapters into it, 13:10 there is this rich context 13:12 that his hearers, 13:14 Jesus늝arers 13:15 from their Hebrew 13:15 backgrounds were hearing. 13:17 They weren't 13:18 just hearing it in a vacuum. 13:19 It wasn't like, 13:19 Oh, let's read 13:20 a book about Jesus, 13:21 who is this guy anyway? 13:22 They were listening 13:24 in the context 13:25 of the Old Testament. 13:26 So when Jesus speaks 13:27 about this bountiful harvest, 13:29 what was He 13:30 drawing their minds to? 13:31 Well, 13:32 if you don't 13:32 pick it up in Mark 4 13:34 Jesus brings 13:35 it again to us in Mark 10. 13:36 In Mark 10, 13:38 the disciples are struggling. 13:41 They have done 13:43 what Jesus had asked 13:44 them to do. 13:46 They had followed Him. 13:47 They were hinging 13:48 everything in their lives 13:50 on His word. 13:51 And Jesus puts it 13:52 this way, “Assuredly, 13:54 I say to you, 13:55 there is no one 13:56 who has left house 13:57 or brothers or sister 13:59 or fathers or mother 14:01 or wife or children 14:02 or lands for My sake 14:04 and the gospel 14:05 who shall not receive 14:06 what? A hundred fold now 14:10 in this time-houses 14:12 and brothers and sisters 14:13 and mothers 14:14 and children and lands 14:15 with persecutions-and 14:17 in the age 14:17 to come eternal life. 14:19 But many who are first 14:20 will be last 14:21 and the last first”. 14:23 What's going on here? 14:24 Jesus is putting the gospel 14:27 in this social context, 14:28 this healing social context, 14:30 and we've talked 14:31 about how social 14:32 connectedness is so healing. 14:34 And what we see as Mark's 14:35 gospel is playing out 14:36 itnfolding. 14:38 Even the blessings 14:39 of the gospel 14:41 are not just an individual 14:42 blessing with God, 14:44 but it's in community. 14:46 So if we were to look 14:46 at the benefits 14:47 of being an insider, 14:48 being a favorite, 14:50 accepting this call 14:51 that God gives 14:52 every one of us 14:52 to be a favorite. 14:53 Let's look at how Mark 4 ends. 14:57 At least the 14:58 section on the parables. 15:00 It says “With 15:00 many similar parables 15:02 Jesus spoke the word to them, 15:05 as much 15:06 as they could understand. 15:07 He did not say anything to them 15:09 without using a parable. 15:11 But when he was alone 15:13 with His own disciples, 15:15 He explained everything”. 15:18 Now think about the 15:19 significance of this. 15:20 Who all was 15:21 listening to Jesus뤨rds? 15:23 Who was there in that 15:24 that group, 15:25 that large group 15:26 by the Sea of Galilee. 15:28 So large 15:29 that Jesus had to get in a boat 15:31 and pull away from the shore 15:33 and speak 15:34 in that natural amphitheater. 15:36 Who all was there? 15:39 There were many 15:39 religious leaders there. 15:41 We see 15:41 that as we go 15:42 through the gospel. 15:44 Who is getting the inside 15:46 track, though? 15:48 It's not those 15:49 who you would think 15:50 Jesus would take special pains 15:52 to educate. 15:53 It's those 15:55 who make a priority 15:56 of leaning on His Word. 15:59 Those who are putting 16:00 Jesus first. 16:01 So there's benefits 16:03 of being an insider 16:05 pressing close to Jesus. 16:06 But there's also dangers. 16:09 Ever thought about this? 16:10 There's problems 16:11 with knowing that 16:12 you're special. 16:14 You see, 16:15 you can be overly confident. 16:17 You can start 16:18 relying on yourself 16:19 instead of relying on God. 16:21 You can depreciate the value 16:23 of other people 16:25 and it can actually 16:25 undermine community. 16:28 You ever thought about this? 16:32 Let me illustrate it for you. 16:33 This is what's 16:34 been playing out, 16:34 Mark one through four. 16:35 If you haven't picked up on it, 16:37 there is a special people 16:39 that Jesus came for, right? 16:41 The Bible speaks about them 16:42 from the beginning, well, 16:44 close to the beginning, 16:46 at least. 16:46 Starting in Genesis 16:47 12, we read about a people 16:49 that are God's chosen people. 16:51 They're the seed of Abraham. 16:52 We would refer to them today 16:54 as the the 16:55 the Jewish people, 16:56 the Hebrew nation, 16:57 however 16:58 you want to refer to it. 16:59 But the leaders, 17:01 the representative leaders 17:03 of that body rejected Jesus. 17:05 When Mark's 17:06 gospel comes to its culmination 17:08 and all the gospels 17:09 come to the culmination 17:10 and Jesus is crucified. 17:11 We hear these words 17:13 coming from the Jewish leaders. 17:14 We have no king but Caesar. 17:17 The Bible says 17:18 Jesus came to His own 17:20 and His own received Him not. 17:23 So the ones who He 17:24 called to be His insiders, 17:25 why did they miss out? 17:26 What was their problem? 17:28 What was it? 17:31 Well, 17:32 they knew they had a 17:33 special status, Right? 17:36 But it actually set the stage 17:37 for them to forget God 17:39 instead of depending on God. 17:40 They trusted in their 17:41 privileged position 17:42 and their own 17:43 preconceived ideas. 17:45 But that privileged position 17:47 was given not to elevate them 17:49 independent of everyone else, 17:51 but to make them a blessing 17:52 to all nations. 17:54 From the very call of Abraham 17:56 in Genesis 12, 17:57 I will bless you 17:58 and make you what? 18:01 A blessing. 18:02 I will bless you 18:03 and make you a blessing. 18:05 So here's 18:05 the good news for you. 18:06 If you think, well, boy, 18:08 you try 18:08 to tell me that I'm a favorite, 18:09 but it sounds 18:10 like you're saying 18:10 God already had a chosen 18:12 people. 18:13 God chooses people 18:16 to work through them 18:17 to make them a blessing. 18:18 And the Bible is clear 18:20 that now all believers, 18:22 all who come to Jesus, 18:23 all who accept 18:24 His gift of salvation, 18:26 become a chosen generation, 18:29 a royal priesthood, 18:30 a holy nation, 18:31 His own special people. 18:34 And if you don't get it 18:35 there in Peter's words. 18:37 Paul put it this way 18:38 In Galatians 3. 18:39 “So in Christ Jesus, 18:41 all of you, 18:42 all believers are children 18:44 of God 18:44 through faith, 18:45 for all of you 18:46 who were baptized into Christ 18:48 have clothed yourself 18:49 with Christ. 18:51 There is neither Jew 18:52 nor Gentile, 18:52 neither slave nor free, nor 18:54 is there a male 18:55 nor female, for 18:56 you are all one 18:57 in Christ Jesus. 18:58 If you belong to Christ, 19:00 then you are Abraham's 19:02 seed, and heirs 19:03 according to the promise”. 19:05 So that chosen nation 19:06 now extends to everyone. 19:08 You're all 19:09 in Paul's language 19:10 in Romans 11. 19:12 Romans 9-11. 19:13 He basically 19:14 says you're grafted in. 19:15 You become part 19:17 of the line of the tree. 19:18 The family tree of Abraham. 19:22 So God wants us 19:23 to have confidence 19:25 in His 19:26 individual personal guidance. 19:28 There's no question about it. 19:29 God wants you to know 19:30 that you're His favorite. 19:31 He has a personal relationship 19:32 with you. 19:33 All kinds of Bible verses 19:34 tell this. 19:35 And if you're struggling today 19:37 and if you're 19:38 looking for guidance, 19:38 let me just remind 19:39 you, God is anxious 19:41 to guide you personally. 19:42 And you may have quoted 19:43 this promise this week. 19:45 James 1:5 promises. 19:47 If any of you lack wisdom, 19:49 what should we do? 19:50 Ask of God 19:52 and God will 19:52 give liberally, right? 19:56 That's right. 19:56 That's right. 19:58 But we have 19:59 to ask in faith, right? 20:02 In John 20:02 7 Jesus said 20:04 something very similar. 20:06 He said, Anyone 20:08 who chooses to do 20:08 the will of God 20:10 will know of the doctrine. 20:11 Will God 20:12 make things clear to you 20:13 what He wants you 20:14 to do in your life? 20:15 It's yes. 20:16 And Jesus said, 20:17 My sheep hear My voice. 20:19 Jesus wants you to see Him 20:21 today 20:22 as the good Shepherd 20:23 for you individually, 20:25 willing to guide you. 20:26 You've got a difficult 20:27 decision. 20:27 He's willing to show you 20:28 the answer. 20:29 You're struggling spiritually, 20:31 financially, relationally. 20:33 He wants to guide you. 20:35 But having said all that, 20:38 having said 20:39 all that, God also wants you 20:41 to value 20:42 the counsel of your brethren. 20:45 They say, 20:45 wait a minute, 20:46 how does this all work? 20:47 God wants to guide 20:47 you individually, 20:49 but He wants you 20:50 to be connected with others? 20:51 This is one of the tensions 20:52 in the Christian life. 20:54 And if you haven't 20:55 been seeing it 20:57 in Mark's gospel, 20:58 I'm telling you, it's 20:59 it's implicit 21:00 in the stories 21:01 that we've been reading. 21:02 And we'll see how it becomes 21:03 even more explicit, 21:05 if you will, 21:06 in Mark 4 as it concludes. 21:09 Proverbs 21:10 makes this point 21:11 very eloquently. 21:13 It says it in a number 21:14 of different ways, 21:15 in a multitude of counselors, 21:17 there's what? 21:18 There's safety, there's wisdom, 21:21 you're established. 21:23 So God's desire 21:24 to guide you 21:25 individually doesn't 21:27 negate His desire 21:28 to bring you into community 21:30 and guide His people 21:32 collectively. 21:33 What I'm trying to help you 21:34 see is 21:35 this dynamic is undergirding 21:37 all the first 21:37 four chapters of Mark's gospel, 21:40 all the first four chapters. 21:41 It's confronting us 21:42 with similar truths, 21:43 and we see it in that 21:44 parable of the sower 21:45 sowing the word everywhere. 21:47 Every individual, every soil 21:50 receives the seed. 21:51 But He doesn't stop 21:53 with the parable of the sower. 21:57 Mark 4:26-29. 22:00 “The Kingdom of God is as 22:02 if a man should 22:04 scatter seed on the ground 22:06 and should sleep by night 22:07 and rise by day, 22:09 and the seed should sprout 22:10 and grow, 22:11 he himself does not know how. 22:14 For the earth yields 22:15 crops by itself: 22:17 first the blade, then the head, 22:19 after that 22:19 the full grain in the head. 22:20 But when the grain 22:21 ripens, immediately 22:23 he puts in the sickle, 22:24 because the harvest has come”. 22:26 Now, remember, 22:26 parables aren't always 22:27 just totally straightforward. 22:29 There's often 22:29 some kind of edge to it 22:30 that gets you thinking. 22:31 And so here's 22:32 the first question for you. 22:34 Does the Earth yield 22:36 crops by itself? 22:38 Now, as you're 22:39 thinking about that, 22:40 some of you are giving me 22:40 some responses 22:41 non-verbally 22:42 by nodding your heads 22:43 or shaking your heads 22:45 and I 22:45 will tell you a true story. 22:46 Years ago, when a student 22:49 at a university 22:50 that was extremely wise, 22:52 I would say 22:53 they were extremely wise 22:53 because they wanted us, 22:55 even those of us like me, 22:56 who was a pre-medical student, 22:58 to have some practical skills. 23:00 So one of the practical classes 23:02 that I taught, taught, taught? 23:04 No, I took 23:05 one of the practical classes 23:06 I took was vegetable gardening. 23:10 Yeah, some of you are laughing, 23:11 I hear you. Okay? Yes, that's. 23:14 You're already 23:15 worried about this. 23:16 Well, 23:17 I thought I did 23:17 an admirable job. 23:18 I probably got an A 23:19 in the class. 23:20 I don't remember, 23:20 but that's my 23:21 created memory right now. 23:23 And I thought 23:24 my garden looked pretty good 23:26 when I left 23:27 at the end 23:28 of the spring semester. 23:30 Now, all of you 23:31 know, 23:32 there's not all that much 23:33 you often can harvest 23:34 in the spring. 23:35 Because I was attending school 23:36 actually north 23:37 of where we are right now. 23:38 So I was in the 23:39 state of Michigan and so 23:44 I did get a little bit of 23:45 return on my investment. 23:46 But some weeks later 23:49 I happened to be 23:49 back on the campus 23:50 and I decided just 23:51 to swing by my garden and see 23:55 if the Earth was yielding 23:57 crops by itself 23:58 after I had planted them. 24:00 I will tell you 24:01 it was yielding by itself, 24:04 but most of what it was 24:05 yielding was weeds. 24:07 Okay? 24:08 I saw 24:09 there were some other creatures 24:10 that seemed 24:10 to have helped themselves 24:11 to some of the more 24:12 edible things, 24:14 but it did not look 24:16 like much of a garden. 24:18 What is Jesus 24:19 then trying to communicate 24:20 here? 24:21 Why is His focus 24:22 not on the nurturing 24:24 that a farmer would do 24:26 after he sowed the seed, 24:27 but what the seed 24:28 naturally accomplishes? 24:32 Because I believe He 24:33 wants us to realize 24:35 that we can trust 24:36 God to complete the work 24:38 that He begins in us. 24:40 It's not about us. 24:41 If you allow God's seed 24:43 to have 24:44 its place in your heart, 24:46 it will. 24:47 It will 24:48 accomplish God's purpose. 24:53 Total dependance on God. 24:56 Even when God leads 24:57 you individually, though 24:58 He often affirms 24:59 the call in a social context. 25:02 Why I tell you that is because 25:05 if you look at Mark's gospel, 25:07 we've been seeing this. 25:09 He calls 25:11 in chapter one, James and John. 25:14 Peter and Andrew. 25:15 He calls them first, 25:16 individually, often 25:17 in a social context, 25:18 brothers working together. 25:20 But then He calls them 25:22 to be part 25:23 of the 12 disciples 25:25 That's in Mark 3. 25:27 What's really interesting about 25:29 this is the way 25:30 Mark tells the story. 25:32 It raises the question 25:34 whether or not at least 25:35 half of the disciples 25:38 were related, 25:39 not only in Chapter 25:41 1 do we learn that Mark 25:44 informs us 25:45 that Peter 25:47 and Andrew were brothers. 25:48 James and John were brothers. 25:51 But as Mark continues 25:52 his gospel, 25:54 he identifies Levi 25:55 as the son of Alpheus, Levi 25:57 or Matthew. 25:58 And then he also 25:59 identifies James 26:01 another of the disciples. 26:02 This is sometimes called 26:03 James the lesser 26:05 as the Son of Alpheus. 26:07 Were they brothers? 26:08 Even if they weren't, Mark's 26:11 narrative raises the question. 26:14 I want you to catch this. 26:16 Jesus has a special place 26:18 for you. 26:19 He wants to guide 26:20 you individualy, 26:22 but He's calling you 26:23 in a very individualistic world 26:26 into community. 26:27 We're glad you're here 26:29 listening to this 26:30 live presentation. 26:31 We're glad 26:31 that many others are joining us 26:33 virtually. 26:34 We invite you 26:35 if you're not in a congregation 26:38 to join us. 26:38 If you're in Fort Wayne, 26:40 come here 26:40 and join us at the Fort Wayne 26:41 First Seventh-Day 26:42 Adventist church. 26:44 If you're 26:45 far away, 26:46 find a Bible believing 26:48 home, faith, community 26:50 that you can fellowship with. 26:55 I am so thankful that God 26:56 is the one who speaks peace 26:59 to troubled hearts. 27:00 If you're struggling today, God 27:02 is ministering 27:02 that peace to you, 27:04 and if you feel like He's 27:05 giving you that peace, 27:06 I encourage you 27:06 to pass it along. 27:07 Share it along. 27:09 By the way, as we're 27:10 speaking about ways 27:11 that we can encourage 27:12 one another, 27:13 we are encouraged 27:14 by your prayers. 27:15 Feel free to 27:17 interact with us, 27:18 to share 27:19 what's happening in your life. 27:20 You can do that 27:20 by going to our website, 27:22 TimelessHealingInsights.org. 27:25 We also value your 27:27 financial support. 27:29 This is a viewer 27:30 supported ministry. 27:31 It is you 27:32 that keeps us on the air 27:33 and keeps us in production. 27:34 So thank you so much 27:36 for your faithful commitments. 27:37 Let's pray together. 27:39 Father in Heaven, 27:40 Thank you 27:41 for bringing peace 27:41 to our hearts 27:42 so that we can minister 27:43 that peace to others. 27:46 May we be such agents 27:47 in this world of turmoil, 27:49 trouble and conflict. 27:51 May people see Jesus in us. 27:53 We pray in His name. 27:55 Amen. |
Revised 2023-06-21