1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:06,000 All of us here this morning have two eyes in our head and two 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,560 ears, one on each side, and I trust we can both see and hear. 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:14,600 I don't think there's anybody here who's physically blind or 4 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,920 deaf. Now, some of us wear glasses to 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,160 help us see better, and some of us were hearing aids to help us 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,640 hear better, and some of us have both. 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,480 I've titled our sermon this morning, Eyes to see and Ears to 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,240 Hear. It is hard for a person who 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,840 physically cannot see and cannot hear. 10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,360 We may know of people who are blind, physically blind, or 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,280 deaf, maybe even both. That's a serious limitation. 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,080 If you can't see, everything is dark, and if you can't hear, 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,600 everything is quiet. Jesus used the analogy of seeing 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,760 and hearing a lot of times, and especially when he referred to 15 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,720 the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time, because he 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,080 called him blind. He called him blind leaders of 17 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,600 the blind. We do well to ask ourselves, do 18 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,760 we see with our hearts and minds? 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,720 Do we hear with our hearts and minds? 20 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,280 It is possible to be both blind and deaf in the heart. 21 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:24,400 That's possible. Wrong information, lack of 22 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:29,880 knowledge, and false teaching causes blindness and deafness of 23 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:35,640 the heart and mind. The decisions we make are an 24 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,240 indicator. They reveal how well we see and 25 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,520 how well we hear. If we have a wrong understanding 26 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,200 of God, we won't see properly with our mind and our heart and 27 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,200 we won't listen properly. This is old stuff. 28 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,160 In Hosea chapter 4 verse 6, the prophet right wrote, My people 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,200 are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 30 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,120 And then God is speaking here. He says because you have 31 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,480 rejected knowledge, I also will reject you. 32 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:08,800 I will reject you've rejected knowledge. 33 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,280 I will reject you from being priest for me. 34 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:13,800 Why did God's people lack knowledge? 35 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,960 It was the leader's fault. They had rejected God. 36 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,400 They turned their backs on him. They couldn't see well anymore. 37 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,360 I want to ask us this morning, do we live in a time where 38 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,960 knowledge is rejected? And I have to say, yes, we live 39 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,720 in a time of the rejection of knowledge. 40 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,200 We know better than we do as a society and as a culture. 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,800 People who have a warped view of God's Word will have a warped 42 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,680 view of a lot of other things. When Jesus walked this earth, he 43 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,520 taught the crowds about God and God's will for their lives. 44 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,040 But the way Jesus taught that was different. 45 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,600 He taught them primarily in parables. 46 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,640 A parable is a story that's not a real story or a true story 47 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:06,600 necessarily, but it's a story told for the purpose of 48 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,960 illustrating a principle or transferring a lesson. 49 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,000 The parable is simply a conveyance, a some a tool to 50 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,680 illustrate a deeper truth. It's like a light that shines 51 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,880 with a purpose, to illuminate a reality. 52 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,840 When you shine a flashlight in a dark room, you're not thinking 53 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,040 about I'm shining a flashlight. You're saying, OK, what? 54 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,160 I need to illuminate that object, I need to find that 55 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,760 object. So the parable is to illuminate, 56 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,160 to illustrate. When it comes to biblical truth, 57 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,040 it's alarming how many people who claim to be Christian, how 58 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,240 many people know so very little about the Bible. 59 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,160 They can read it but not hear it, study it but not see it. 60 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:47,960 And there's a lot of people like that. 61 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,800 And I have to say, we live in a time of spiritual blindness and 62 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,280 deafness. It's not that people don't live 63 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,600 by some kind of principle or some kind of value. 64 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,160 They do, whether it's a faith focused on God or faith, faith 65 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:03,760 focused on self or temporal things, whatever it may be. 66 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:05,960 But we all have some form of orientation. 67 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:12,680 The psalmist mentions in Psalm chapter 119, verse 105, he says 68 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:17,360 your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 69 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,920 So if God's word is light, it means it reveals, it 70 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,760 illuminates. So how well can you and I see 71 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:29,480 with our hearts this morning? What kind of spiritual vision do 72 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:30,880 we have? Do you have 2020? 73 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:36,600 I don't, I do know I don't because of how often I have to 74 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,680 go back and then, oh, I saw this wrong or I've, I've now grown in 75 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,360 this area. I don't think anybody has 2020 76 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,200 spiritual vision. I don't believe that we have 77 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,520 better vision. The more we study and can see 78 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,760 better, the more the more life goes on, but it's something that 79 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,520 grows and that develops. We're continuing our sermon 80 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,760 series in the Gospel of Mark and this morning we will be looking 81 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,840 in Mark how Jesus began to teach the people in parables. 82 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,760 When commentator I read pointed out that in Mark 4, there's a 83 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,400 transition that happens. Jesus began to teach with 84 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,560 parables. He had not done that up to this 85 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,360 point. The first parable we find in the 86 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,080 Gospel of Mark is the parable of the sower and the seed. 87 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,480 The parable is a word picture. And in this this case it's a 88 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,240 it's a we'll read it shortly, but just a few comments here. 89 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,480 In this this case, it's a parable of a farmer who's sowing 90 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,200 seed in this field and some of the seed falls on the, on the 91 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,040 road, on the pathway, it's hard path. 92 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,040 It's nothing grows there and, and it's gone and then nothing 93 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,880 happens. The some seed falls in the Stony 94 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,280 soil, some in the thorny soil and some of the good soil. 95 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:42,840 So that's kind of that parable. There's another parable he 96 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:44,120 talks. There's four of them actually. 97 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,160 It's the parable of the light lights, not intended to be 98 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,000 hidden under a bed or under basket. 99 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,160 It's to be meant to put in a lampstand so it illuminates 100 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,640 what's around it. And then the third parable, the 101 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,640 growing seed. A man sows the seed and it's 102 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:58,480 beyond his control. It produces fruit and the 103 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,240 harvest happens, but he's not the one actually bringing the 104 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,160 the results. He just sows the seed. 105 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:05,200 And the fourth one is the mustard seed parable. 106 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,120 We'll go into these parables as we go along here, but I want us 107 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,720 to start by reading the chapter. Mark chapter 4. 108 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:20,600 Mark chapter 4. Mark writes this and read with 109 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,320 me in your device your Bibles. And again he began to teach by 110 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,880 the sea, and a great multitude was gathered to him, so that he 111 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,360 got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole multitude 112 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,840 was on the land facing the sea. Then he taught them many things 113 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:38,160 by parables, and said to them in his teaching, Listen, Behold, A 114 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,760 sower went out to soul. And it happened as he sowed, 115 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,600 that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the 116 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,160 air came and devoured it. Some fell on Stony ground where 117 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,880 it did not have much earth. And immediately it sprang up, 118 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,400 because it had no depth of earth. 119 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,040 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no 120 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,160 root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns, 121 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,160 and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no 122 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,480 crop. But other seed fell on good 123 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:06,520 ground and yielded A crop that sprang up, increased, and 124 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,280 produced some thirtyfold, some 60 and some 100. 125 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,960 And he said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 126 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,800 But when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him 127 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,200 about the parable. And he said to them, To you it 128 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,520 has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God. 129 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,160 But to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so 130 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,320 that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may 131 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,320 hear and not understand, lest they should turn and their sins 132 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,280 be forgiven them. And he said to them, Do you not 133 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,920 understand this parable? How then will you understand all 134 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,080 the parables? The sower sews the Word, and 135 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,640 these are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. 136 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,600 When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the 137 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:49,240 word that was sown in their hearts. 138 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,200 These likewise are the ones sown on the Stony ground who, when 139 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,240 they hear the word, immediately receive with gladness. 140 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,200 But they have no root in themselves, and so endure only 141 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,600 for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or 142 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,720 persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they 143 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,200 stumble. Now these are the ones sown 144 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:08,920 among thorns. They're the ones who hear the 145 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,360 Word and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of 146 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,160 riches and the desires for other things entering in. 147 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,800 Choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. 148 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,280 But these are the ones sown on good ground. 149 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,480 Those who hear the word accept it and bear fruit. 150 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,920 Some thirtyfold, some 60, and some 100. 151 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,480 And he said to them, Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket 152 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,800 or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lamp 153 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,520 stand? For there's nothing hidden which 154 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,320 will not be revealed, nor is anything being kept secret that 155 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,159 it should not become, should not come, should come to light. 156 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,039 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 157 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:43,480 Then he said to them, Take heed what you hear. 158 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,360 With the same measure he used, it will be measured to you. 159 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,200 And to you who hear more will be given. 160 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,880 For whoever has to him more will be given. 161 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:53,840 But whoever does not have even that, what he has will be taken 162 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,720 away from him. And he said, the Kingdom of God 163 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,480 is a, is a, is as if a man should scatter seed on the 164 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,720 ground and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed 165 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,640 should sprout and grow. He himself does not know why, 166 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,920 for the earth yields crops by itself, first the blade, then 167 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,680 the head, after that the full grain in the head, but when the 168 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,280 grain ripens, immediately puts in the sickle, because the 169 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,120 harvest has come. Then he said, To what shall we 170 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:20,520 like in the Kingdom of God, or with what parable shall we 171 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,840 picture it? It is like a mustard seed, which 172 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,080 when it is sown in the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on 173 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,120 the earth, but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater 174 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,840 than all herbs and shoots out large branches so that the birds 175 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,680 of the air may nest under its shade. 176 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,120 And with many such parables, he spoke to them as they were able 177 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:40,480 to hear, but without a parable, he did not speak to them. 178 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,600 But when he was alone, he explained all things to his 179 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,080 disciples. Let's stop there. 180 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,200 We won't read all of it. Read up to verse 34. 181 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,040 Let's go into this text and unpack what happened here, why 182 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,760 Jesus did what he did, and what it means for us. 183 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:58,520 Today is first we have the parable of the sower, the seed, 184 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,200 and the soil. Let's review this a bit. 185 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,360 Jesus is now well into his ministry. 186 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,840 He's well known, he's performing miracles. 187 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,320 He's had some encounters with the religious leaders and that 188 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,360 haven't has not gone so well up to this point. 189 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,560 Jesus has not let anything interfere with his mission or 190 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:20,040 his focus. Jesus is staying on track, but 191 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,000 now he's taking a different approach. 192 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,400 He's not going to stop what he's doing, but he's changing how 193 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,440 he's doing it. He's using a different approach. 194 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:33,560 It tells us, see that Mark says here, Jesus began to teach by 195 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:35,800 the sea again, began to teach. So he's been doing that. 196 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,440 He's doing it again. A large crowd follows him, gets 197 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:40,320 into a boat. So he has some kind of, it's a 198 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,880 bit of distance from the crowd. And so he can see the crowd on 199 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:44,560 the shore. He's kind of in this, in the 200 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:47,440 center stage here at the crowds on the banks of the sea. 201 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:53,000 And he's he's teaching them. Imagine the scene in your mind, 202 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,920 the whole crowd on the shore, the people on the shore, a 203 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,800 little bit like a movie theater. It says he taught them many 204 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,120 things in verse 2. Some this. 205 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,960 The first one's about the seed. Some seed fell by the wayside, 206 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,960 no fruit. Some fell on Stony ground, no 207 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,120 fruit. Some seed fell among thorns, no 208 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,480 fruit. Other seed fell on on good soil 209 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,880 and good fruit. When Jesus finished telling the 210 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:24,160 story of the sore in the seed, it was just a story, a farmer's 211 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,280 story. He didn't even explain it. 212 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:29,800 We can assume there were farmers who heard him. 213 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:34,280 OK, What's that all about? And no doubt there were some who 214 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,880 were not farmers who understood the meaning of farming and they 215 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:38,720 understood the parable. OK, that makes sense. 216 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:39,120 Yeah. I see. 217 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:40,680 That falls in the ground, of course. 218 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,080 But they didn't pay for their attention. 219 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,320 He doesn't tell the story. What it explains what the 220 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,160 spiritual state of it. He he tells them nothing, just 221 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,640 the story. I believe what Jesus did was 222 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:57,240 brilliant because Jesus knew those with whom who were on the 223 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,120 inside are going to look in a minute here. 224 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,160 Those were on the inside. It would resonate with them. 225 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,520 They would seek further. They wouldn't. 226 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:08,200 It would not just pass them by. He was speaking to different 227 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,840 types of people in this crowd. That's what he was doing. 228 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,160 Someone once said this years ago, that there's three types of 229 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,600 people in this world and I'm not saying right or wrong about it, 230 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:17,760 but I thought it was interesting comment. 231 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,240 He said they're those who are the movers and shakers of 232 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:21,880 society and culture in the world. 233 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:23,840 They're the ones who make things happen. 234 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,240 Not a lot of those people. There are those who watch what's 235 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,440 happening. They're observed, they're 236 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:33,360 attentive, they pay attention. They want to know more than 237 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,200 there are those who just know something happened. 238 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,360 OK, they know something happened, but what happened? 239 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,680 When I read that, I thought I'd like to add a fourth to that, 240 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,120 and that's that. That's this one. 241 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,360 There are those who don't know anything happened. 242 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:47,960 They just sleep right through the whole thing. 243 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:52,760 I think the fourth group there are those on the hard path 244 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,800 doesn't matter. Life just passes them by. 245 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,000 The seed is sown and they just are not aware. 246 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,200 It doesn't. They're totally engrossed in 247 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,280 something else. They're just totally on their 248 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,160 own. It never occurs to them. 249 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:06,360 This could actually apply to them. 250 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:07,840 Then of course, the other groups here. 251 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,840 But what's interesting here in all this, in this whole story of 252 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,000 the parable in Mark chapter 4 verse 9, it says he said to 253 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,480 them, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. 254 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,680 And he didn't mean this physical ear or the eye gate. 255 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:24,960 Of course, that's how the message entered their mind. 256 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,800 That's how the message entered their their body. 257 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,080 That's true, but it needs to do more than that. 258 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,280 Jesus meant ears of the mind and ears of the heart. 259 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,600 We don't know how many of them had ears to hear. 260 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,800 We know some did. Even the disciples didn't get 261 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:41,920 the story. They knew something's up with 262 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:43,520 this. What does that mean? 263 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:45,880 What's he trying to teach? He's trying to teach something. 264 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:47,920 It's not a farmer's story. He they knew that. 265 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,600 What is he trying to say? What's he trying to convey with 266 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,080 this story? The majority of the crowd 267 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,040 probably just walked away. What was that all about? 268 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,760 But here's Jesus being he was he explained something. 269 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,120 This is the the the story of the the sword and the seed is a much 270 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,280 more intricate involved story than we would give it credit on 271 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,360 the outside. Listen, verse 9, verse 11 here 272 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,720 it says to you, it has been given speaking to the disciples 273 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,000 and those were around him. To you it has been given to know 274 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,480 the mystery of the Kingdom of God. 275 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:23,400 But to those who are outside, all things come in parables and 276 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,760 then this one, so that seeing they may see and not perceive, 277 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,680 and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they should 278 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,720 turn and their sins be forgiven them. 279 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:40,000 That's hard. I know it's a hard passage. 280 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,400 Who are the outsiders? Who are they? 281 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,360 This speaks of a distinction, a dividing line. 282 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,600 You see, not all are inside, obviously, and not all are 283 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,760 outside, obviously. And depending on where a person 284 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,080 is on the inside or outside, that influences how that person 285 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,400 will perceive what that person will do with what they've 286 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,840 received, what they will grasp, and so on. 287 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,000 I'll go a little bit on a tangent here and this may be a 288 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:10,840 question in some people's minds. Maybe it's not. 289 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,040 It wasn't mine. In my mind, who's at fault where 290 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,960 they are? Do they decide to be in the 291 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:18,080 inside? Do they decide to be in the 292 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:20,040 outside? I believe they have a choice to 293 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,560 make. There's a decision we all make, 294 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,640 how we, how we process, how we use what we've been given. 295 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:30,720 Romans chapter 1 talks about it won't go into that, but Romans 296 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,080 one talks about that. An insider person will know 297 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,280 something happened. They're aware, they're curious, 298 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,360 they want to know more. There of course, are some Bible 299 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,280 teachers that have this idea that no, it's all God, nothing 300 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,080 but God. But that doesn't work either, 301 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,880 because that's not how God created you and I in the world. 302 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,360 In fact, it's not all just predestined, determined, 303 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,000 preordained, pre decreed. We have responsibilities, We 304 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,120 have choices to make. That's the story of Jesus all 305 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,600 through the Gospels. God created you and me and his 306 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,240 image to reflect him. We have a we are, we are his 307 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,880 reflection, and we have a choice to make. 308 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:11,920 And so these people on the inside are outside. 309 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:15,000 Do they have ears to hear? Don't they? 310 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:16,520 And where they are will determine that. 311 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:21,840 If you go back to the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 4, you 312 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:26,440 find the story of two men, Cain and Abel. 1 wasn't the outside 313 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:30,880 one wasn't the inside. Cain was the outsider, Abel was 314 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,200 on the inside. Both brought sacrifices to God. 315 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,840 Both wanted God's approval. Both wanted attention from God. 316 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,080 Both wanted to be accepted by God. 317 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:44,880 God accepts Abel but not Cain, and Cain gets angry at God not 318 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:46,720 accepting him. He too has offered a sacrifice 319 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,880 as well. But then Jesus said God says to 320 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,280 Cain and Genesis 47, if you do well, will you not be accepted? 321 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:56,480 If you do not do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is 322 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:57,680 for you, but you should rule over. 323 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,160 God is holding Cain responsible for where he's at. 324 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:04,960 The question becomes what would Cain do? 325 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,480 We know the answer. He got mad at God, killed his 326 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,440 brother and tried to squash the whole thing and God held him 327 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,839 responsible. God held Cain responsible. 328 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:20,079 We see this principle, this pattern, woven throughout every 329 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:22,680 part of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. 330 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,800 We have a responsibility. So which type of soil we are, 331 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:34,080 whether we're hard soil, rocky soil, Stony soil, or good soil, 332 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,600 we need help. We do need that. 333 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:40,400 But the responsibility is on us to respond to Christ, to become 334 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:47,640 the soil that He wants us to be. In Mark chapter 4, we read Jesus 335 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:51,720 teaching in parables and he says it has been given to them, the 336 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,600 disciples, to know the mysteries, but not to the ones 337 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:58,760 in the outside. You see again verse 12, seeing 338 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,040 them, they see and not perceive and hearing they may hear, not 339 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,200 understand this they should be returned and their sins be 340 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,040 forgiven them. You see it doesn't work both 341 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,640 ways. People cannot have their cake 342 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,360 and eat it too. People can't be on both on the 343 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:16,680 inside and the outside. Not all people were physically 344 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,000 present are there. Not all people who were there 345 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,720 were there for the reason Jesus wanted them there. 346 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,400 Jesus did want them to come and listen, but the reason they came 347 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,280 to this was not the reason Jesus wanted them to listen. 348 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:29,520 The people's reason for being there and Jesus reason for 349 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:30,840 wanting them there was not the same. 350 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,280 And the story of Cain and Abel. God wanted both of them to 351 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:35,560 sacrifice both of them to offer him. 352 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,360 God wanted to accept both of them, but Cain came with a 353 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:40,560 different purpose. Cain was blind and deaf toward 354 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:43,000 God and his mind. God was the issue, God was the 355 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,600 problem. He wanted to be accepted, but on 356 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,680 his terms, not God's. There are many people in the 357 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,480 world who want enough religion just to get by, but it doesn't 358 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,800 work that way. They want enough of God in their 359 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,040 life just to be OK. Doesn't work that way. 360 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,440 They want to make it work for them, not for God. 361 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,120 Our definitions are not what matters, it's God's definitions 362 00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:10,040 what matter. Eugene Peterson and his 363 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:13,800 paraphrase of the Bible and Luke chapter 4, verse 12. 364 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:17,080 He words this way. He says these are people whose 365 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,720 eyes are open but don't see a thing, whose ears are open but 366 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,800 don't understand a word, who avoid making an about face and 367 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,320 getting forgiven. The new Living Translation 368 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,160 translates this way, verse 12, so that the Scriptures might be 369 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,120 fulfilled. When they see what I do, they 370 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:31,880 will learn nothing. When they hear what I said, they 371 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,120 will not understand. Otherwise they will turn to me 372 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,680 and be forgiven. The disciples, they knew 373 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:39,960 something's up with the story. They got that part. 374 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,600 They were in the inner circle. They were had a relationship 375 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,600 with Jesus, but they needed to grow and they wanted more. 376 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,360 And Jesus challenges them and says, do you not understand this 377 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:49,440 parable? Then how then will you 378 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,840 understand all the parables? They knew they were on the 379 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:52,760 inside. They needed to grow. 380 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,120 And I think I would like to say this fits us today. 381 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,840 Then Jesus explained this, those hearing ears and the seeing eyes 382 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,920 and the meaning of the story and it goes into a lot of detail 383 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,960 about the Stony ground and and all those things. 384 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,520 And all of we fit in one of these 4 categories. 385 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:13,440 There's there's the the Stony ground, there's the hard soil, 386 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,600 the Stony soil, the thorny soil, and there's the soft soil. 387 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,920 And in the end, only one of these three of these four 388 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,840 groups, only one of these four groups actually produces any 389 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,200 fruit. It's the one that have good 390 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:29,560 soil. It's a plentiful fruit. 391 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:34,880 It's a 30 fold it says. But those on the on the goods 392 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,600 ground, those are the ones who hear the word verse that's verse 393 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,120 20. Accept the word bear fruit some 394 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:43,680 thirtyfold, some 60 and some 100. 395 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,400 Jesus explained this disciples to the to the Jesus explained to 396 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:49,800 the disciples what this what this meant. 397 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,560 But then he continues on and tells more parables on these 398 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,200 parables. We don't find they were spoken 399 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,240 by the sea necessarily. The one who was separate by the 400 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,400 with the disciples Mark was on and he gives another 401 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:02,320 illustration, another parable, the lamp on the lamp stand. 402 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:04,920 Jesus goes on explain and gives him another one. 403 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:09,840 He says in verse 21, is a lamp brought to be put under a basket 404 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,440 or a bed? Is it not to be set in a 405 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,040 lampstand? Verse 22 For there's nothing 406 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,200 hidden which will not be revealed, nor is anything be 407 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:17,960 kept secret, but that it should come to light. 408 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,360 Then he has again those words in 23 If anyone has ears to hear, 409 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,800 let him hear Jesus teach us. There will one day be no 410 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,120 secrets. Everything will be revealed. 411 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,800 Everything will be public, everything will be be 412 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,040 transparent. Nothing will be will be hidden. 413 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,840 And he says in verse 24, take heed what you hear with the same 414 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,360 measure you use, it will measure to you and to you who hear more 415 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,480 will be given for whoever has to him will be given. 416 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,200 More will be given. But whoever does not have even 417 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,840 that what he has, even what he has will be taken away from him. 418 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,480 You and I are responsible to pay attention. 419 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,320 We're responsible to respond, to do something with what we have. 420 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,920 When we reject truth, it's like cutting off the branch on which 421 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,680 we're sitting. We're responsible. 422 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,520 Think of it. What is our devotion to God 423 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,800 characterized by? Are we like a lamp on a 424 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,760 lampstand that shines, reveals the grace of God in our 425 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:18,920 community that reveals and shines light? 426 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:21,480 Or are we hidden? And then there's another 427 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,680 parable, the one about the the growing seed. 428 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:26,400 It's again a reference to farming. 429 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,440 But now Jesus used the same principle, land, seed and 430 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,880 growth, but with a different meaning, a different purpose. 431 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,480 The farmers in that they had far less control over the farming 432 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,320 than farmers do today. Farmers in that day would just 433 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:40,920 had no control over the weather. Now, not that our farmers have 434 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,440 control over the weather, but I'm thinking about greenhouse 435 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:45,880 farming or fertilizer on different processes with the 436 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:47,600 crops. So we have some control, which 437 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,640 they didn't, but basically talks about the farmer can only sow 438 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:54,480 the seed and he can harvest between what happens there he's 439 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,360 not responsible for. Let's read verse 26 again. 440 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,880 He says, and the Kingdom of God is if a man should scatter seed 441 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,440 on the ground and should sleep by night and rise by day, and 442 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,200 the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how for 443 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:10,680 the earth yields crops by itself. 444 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,480 First the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the 445 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,040 head. But when the grain ripens, 446 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,320 immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. 447 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,200 God's Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom in which God's people 448 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,840 play a role, but God is the one who directs and guides the 449 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,720 process and how this develops, how it grows and how the harvest 450 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,560 comes in, how people turn to him as people. 451 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,200 God uses people, you and I, to scatter the seed. 452 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,920 We do it with our interactions, by our connections with people. 453 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:43,440 We sow good deeds, we sow the word and also sometimes the not 454 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:49,760 so good word and it influences people and somewhere it sprouts. 455 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,320 We may not be in control of what happens, but we do influence 456 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:55,400 people. And Mark continues with one more 457 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,440 parable in chapter chapter 4, verse 30, he says it talks about 458 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:03,120 the parable of the mustard seed and he says in verse 30, then he 459 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,960 said Jesus, to what shall we like in the Kingdom of God or 460 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:08,520 with what parable shall we picture it? 461 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,320 It is like a mustard seed, which one is sown on the ground is 462 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,600 smaller than all the seeds on earth, but when it is sown, it 463 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,080 grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out 464 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,840 large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under 465 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,880 its shade. God's Kingdom may look small. 466 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,600 Jesus saying, but look at what blessing the gospel brings, not 467 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,640 just that the fullness of the church is yet to come. 468 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,920 The gospel should not be judged by its temporary effect in 469 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,360 society. The end result will be great. 470 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,560 Simply because something is small does not mean it hasn't. 471 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,360 It can't have a big impact. Jesus telling his audience do 472 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:45,160 not mistake smallness for meaning less or little. 473 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,280 God's Kingdom in the end will outlast everything. 474 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:50,680 In the end. It's his Kingdom that will rule. 475 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:53,240 Jesus predicted it and we do believe it. 476 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,160 Jesus conquered death and one day he will rule over everything 477 00:24:57,320 --> 00:24:59,720 with Jesus. Size is not the issue. 478 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:03,880 Size is not the problem. Oh, in our world it is. 479 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,840 Go big or go home. Loud is important, big is 480 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:08,840 important, Strength is important, power is important. 481 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:10,360 None of these things matter to God. 482 00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:13,800 Silent, quiet, small, doesn't matter. 483 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:15,760 The end result will still be big. 484 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,400 Mark continues on and writes in verse 33 says with many such 485 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,920 parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear 486 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:26,960 it, but without a parable he did not speak to them. 487 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:29,240 And when they were alone, he explained all things to his 488 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,200 disciples. I believe it's safe to say we're 489 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,400 not given nearly all the parables. 490 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,040 I think maybe only a small number of the parables that 491 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,640 Jesus actually told. But we've been given enough to 492 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,600 know what we need to do. We've been given enough truth 493 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,000 that we have the basis on which to follow God. 494 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:47,080 But just selfishly thinking, I sometimes wonder, would it be 495 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,280 nice to know some more of them? There's there are other parables 496 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,440 and other gospels, but here we have these. 497 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,720 And in private, Jesus explained it to his disciples, what they 498 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,000 meant. And these are recorded for us 499 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,760 today. What does all this mean for us 500 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,320 today? There were those who wanted God, 501 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:05,520 but for different reason than God wanted them to want him. 502 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,520 They were seeking him for selfish purposes. 503 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:12,200 And so very early on, there were those who were drawn to Jesus 504 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:16,440 with the wrong motives and Jesus didn't fully give himself to 505 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,440 them. There were those who didn't, who 506 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,200 didn't have ears to hear, didn't have eyes to see. 507 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:22,200 Their physical eyes were there. Their physical ears were there, 508 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:24,800 but mentally in, in, in spiritually, they were not 509 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,920 getting it. They were not tuned into God. 510 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,440 Then of course there were those who just didn't hear, just not 511 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:35,400 aware. They just actually had no use. 512 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,200 They were just like like dead to, to, to Jesus completely. 513 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,160 But Jesus did come for everyone, but never everyone came for him. 514 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,360 In fact only a few. But the question for you and I 515 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:50,000 today is what about us? Do we have eyes to see? 516 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,400 Do we have ears to hear? And how are we in our hearing 517 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,920 and our listening and our and our seeing? 518 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:01,040 How selective are we in our obedience to the Gospel of 519 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,760 Jesus? Because Jesus does say here, He 520 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,600 does say that those who have more will be given, those who 521 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,840 don't have what they have will be taken. 522 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,400 I understand the simply to mean that when we miss the 523 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,840 opportunities, we reject the opportunities. 524 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,480 Those opportunities may disappear, won't have them, even 525 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:25,240 even them anymore. We must ask ourselves where do 526 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:28,600 we fit in the story? Thinking back to the different 527 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,400 types of soils, we must ask ourselves, how are we 528 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,760 responding? Like the hard path, the Stony 529 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:38,240 soil, the thorny soil, or like the good soil? 530 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,680 There's only one, and this is a journey. 531 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,480 It's a progress, it's a journey, and it comes and it's for 532 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:48,120 everybody, even for the most difficult and ungodly people. 533 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:52,560 In 1725, a man named John Newton was born in England to a 534 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,840 Christian mother. When he grew up, he had no use 535 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,720 for his mother's faith. He went into the slave trade, 536 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,920 went to see sailing ships, buying slaves in Africa and 537 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,200 sailing West to the Caribbean and selling them. 538 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,680 He was widely known for his ungodly character. 539 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:17,560 One day in 1748, as a young man and a fierce storm was off the 540 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,760 coast of Ireland, his ship nearly sank. 541 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,840 He cried out to God for mercy because he knew better. 542 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,480 He knew, but he's always rejected it. 543 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,880 That cry for mercy did not go unheeded. 544 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,520 There was a turning point that happened in his life. 545 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:39,040 The seed was starting to grow it He started to change, but it was 546 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,160 it would still be years until he finally gave up his work, gave 547 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,840 up being a slave trader. He had convictions about it. 548 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:49,560 He finally gave it up, but God's word kept working on him and he 549 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,040 surrendered completely and gave up the slave trade. 550 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:56,480 And he actually went into he was he influenced government leaders 551 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,760 who went about later on abolishing the slave trade. 552 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,320 He was influential in bringing an end to this evil practice and 553 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,040 eventually became a minister of the gospel and he wrote the song 554 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:10,720 that's called Amazing Grace. You all know the song Amazing 555 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,280 Grace. How sweet the sound that saved a 556 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:16,160 Wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm 557 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:22,760 found was blind, but now I see. He had ears to hear. 558 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,880 He had eyes to see. He cried for mercy and God 559 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,200 granted it to him. When he heard, he listened. 560 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:31,840 When he saw, he followed, he obeyed. 561 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:36,960 So much is determined by how we hear and how we see. 562 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,160 The choice is yours and mine to make. 563 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:44,160 You and I decide that. The story of Cain and Abel. 564 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,040 Cain decided I'm going to kill my brother. 565 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:50,520 That's how he dealt with his relationship with God. 566 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,040 We don't have to be like Cain and refuse to listen. 567 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,760 The difference God's word will make in my life and your life 568 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,120 will depend on how we respond. The kind of person I choose to 569 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,520 be. If we follow Jesus, our heart 570 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,320 will be good soil bringing good fruit. 571 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:12,160 If you follow Jesus, our life will be like a lamp on a tree, 572 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,600 on a lampstand. It'll produce light. 573 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,640 It'll illuminate truth, and if we follow Jesus, we'll be 574 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:23,760 engaged in Kingdom work, sowing seeds for eternity, and there'll 575 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,800 be growth. May God give us ears to hear, 576 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,800 eyes to see, and then strength to follow and obey. 577 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:37,440 Let us pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for your 578 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,320 grace. You offer us what we do not 579 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:42,160 deserve. You offer us grace. 580 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,320 Thank you for your mercy. The punishment we do deserve, 581 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,680 You spared us from. That is mercy, Lord, may our 582 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,680 hearts, our minds be tuned to you this week. 583 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,800 May we see with our heart and hear with our mind and may be 584 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:59,040 put into practice what we know as we go through this week. 585 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,600 Maybe experience you, maybe listen to you, maybe obey you. 586 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:03,440 Thank you Jesus.