Class Notes, Mark 6:6b-56

Review:

o Mark has emphasized Jesus' authority; his conflict with the religious leaders over the law and His claims; the resulting rejection by the leadership (and Nation, first here and then at the trial) of his offer of the kingdom; and then last week, what faith is and the importance of faith (storm, woman with bleeding, daughter of Jarius, and his hometown)

o Now, we move into the training of the twelve

Re-attack:

o The touching of his garment and the healing of the dead, both involve issues of ceremonial defilement. Yet Jesus had no problem with the events from that perspective

o There are three kingdoms, four if you count the eternal kingdom of God. There is the Davidic kingdom, the Mystery form of the kingdom (church), and the Messianic kingdom (future)

Mark 6:6b-13 (NIV) Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

· This story is very familiar. What are the principles that Jesus is teaching the twelve?

o Trust God to provide what you need

o You can't force people to listen. If a person won't listen, then leave. It is not our responsibility to see results. A person decides to accept Christ, not our abilities

o The message was simple, people need to repent (often forgotten). The issue is our sin. Without that understanding, the cross is meaningless

o Serve people (the apostles had the ability to heal and drive out demons). I'm not sure we have those gifts of the spirit. Nor am I sure this passage applies to us in the same way it applied to the Apostles

· We do have a responsibility to share the gospel message with those around us

· We do need to trust God, pray for opportunities and boldness

· We can't force people

· We should not sidestep the issue of sin

· We do need to serve others. That will open many doors

(Mark 6:14-29)

· While the disciples are out, John, who has been in prison some time, is beheaded

· In the midst of a great spiritual victory, Satan counters with a frightening reminder

· Josephus also records John's death but focuses on the public and political aspect of the imprisonment, that is John speaking against his adulterous marriage

o Mark provides the private account, but it doesn't change the story

· One or two of Jesus' disciples (not sure) may have been followers of John, such as Andrew

o So this hurts and dampens the return of the twelve

Mark 6:29-34 (NIV) On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

· So they head off in a boat, why?

o Get away; tired; still mourning John's death; just need quiet

o There are a lot of good reasons to get away

· The passage makes it clear that getting away is not bad (but there is a balance)

· When they arrive at their quiet place, it is not the retreat that they had hoped for. What does Jesus do and why?

o He ministers

o He loved people

· Another lesson of ministry, sometimes we have to give up our plans for others for the sake of ministry

o Caution: This is not a hard principle. The key word is sometimes. Sometimes, we do need to get away. Sometimes, we are tired. But sometimes we need to give up our desire for rest or quiet, and sacrifice ourselves for people

o Ministry is tough work

o The only hard thing I can say is that if we always give up self for others, then that is probably not good. And if we never sacrifice what we want to do for others, then that is not right either

Mark 6:35-44 (NIV) By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat."

They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

38 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."

When they found out, they said, "Five — and two fish."

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

· This is still another lesson in ministry

· How many people are there and how much would it cost to feed that group today?

o If 8,000 only, at $5/person (McD cost), then $40K

o If 30,000, counting women and children, then it would be $120K

o If you made the food yourself, you could get it down to $1.0-1.5/person, and now it costs $30k$45K

o BOTTOMLINE: it still costs the same amount today to feed people

· But what is the ministry lesson?

o Believe God to do great things

o Don't let circumstances limit what God can do in your life

· One more lesson

o The disciples, according to other passages (incl vs 52), missed out on the significance of what was happening. Not sure why. Later, they understood. This is one of the few stories that all four gospel writers include. John includes it because it precedes Jesus famous "eat my body and drink my blood" speech when many people left Jesus

o Do we view life in a very deterministic manner? It happened because of x and y, or do we stop and look for God working in the everyday things of life? Sometimes we fail to see what should be so very clear

Mark 6:45-52 (NIV) Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

· Another principle of ministry, and a very pointed metaphor

· After experiencing a miracles of God, what does Jesus do?

o They do clean up (previous passage). Always leave things in better shape than when you arrived

o Jesus finished things. Some of us are good at starting, but you still have to finish what you start

o Jesus prayed. Jesus thanked God the Father for the miracle. Jesus thanked God for the work of ministry

· Fourth watch of night (Roman reckoning) would be 3 to 6am. According to John, they are about 25-30 furlongs, a little more than halfway across a 7-mile wide lake

· "Pass by" could also be a Jewish term referencing a theophany (or God's glory) to encourage the person

o Ex 33:19-20 (NIV) And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

o 1 Kings 19:11 (NIV) The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."

· Doesn't really work, instead they are scared to death and think they see a ghost

o Amazing. Their first reaction is a ghost, not God

o What is the lesson?

· You are not looking for God

· It is interesting, that if this is Peter's recitation to Mark of the events, that Peter leaves out his part

· Once again, a storm is instantly calmed

· Why were they so amazed?

o Their hearts were hardened

o I believe that even Christians can have hardened hearts. When we don't let the Holy Spirit work in our heart; when we don't have a regular relationship with God; when we don't look for God in the events of life -- our hearts start to harden

· God cannot provide food out of nothing

· God cannot walk on water

· And that is exactly the God we will see ….

Class Notes, Mark 3:7-6:6a (4:35-5:34)

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

• We have all experienced storms in our life. For some the storm is literal, like Katrina, for others, it is a metaphor for family troubles, finances, satanic attacks, and poor decisions
• While we may enjoy an occasional weather storm, no one looks forward to living on the coast and the next hurricane, or living in tornado alley and wondering "when are those tornadoes coming?" We don't look forward to storms in life either, but they happen to everyone. Even the person who looks like he/she has everything together will experience storms
• Job had everything together. He was the richest man in the east. His three friends, who were convinced he had done something wrong to merit such storms, mentioned how people use to come to him all the time for advice. So Job was very smart -- very rich and very smart. When the storms (weather, raiders, etc) hit and destroyed his livestock, his fields, killed his children, and caused painful sores all over his body, Job's riches and wisdom couldn't stop it
• It is interesting that when God speaks to Job, it says "the Lord answered Job out of the storm (job 38:1)"
• We don't usually see good in a storm, but I think God speaks to us out of storms

• The disciples are experiencing a storm, why are the so frightened?
• It was a furious squall
• Water was coming and starting to swamp the boat

• And where is Jesus?
• He was resting in the stern
• Now God the Father does not sleep, but Jesus was fully God and perfectly man, and he did need sleep. But there is a metaphor here for our own struggles, sometimes it seems as if God does not answer, that He is asleep to our struggles, to our storm
• C.S. Lewis: "Meanwhile, where is God?" he asks. God is present, or seems to be, when all is well. "But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away."
• I'm not sure why God uses silence to our prayers, but it is a common thing. God speaks to us out of the silence as well

• It is perfectly alright to cry out to God, but the disciples make one mistake. Note what is said to Jesus:
• Teacher, don't you care if we drown
• Faith is not believing that God has power, that is a given. The demons believe in God and our terrified of his power, but they don't have faith. The disciples were terrified when they saw his power, but that wasn't faith
• Faith is believing that God cares for me
• Faith is believing he loves me tremendously
• Faith is believing that he is working for my good

• Heb 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (NIV)"
• Two things required for faith
• One, to believe he exists
• Two, to believe he cares and he will give good things
• Rom 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
• Both of these verses mention one other thing, Hebrew says "those who earnestly seek him" and Romans says "of those who love him"
• How can we say we love someone or earnestly seek that person when the only time we come to the person is when the storms of life are threatening?
• Real faith does not wait until we are at the end of the rope to call out to God. Now when we are in a storm, I believe it is God calling us to him, and so we do need to cry out
• APPLICATION: But the most important thing, is after the storm is over, do we go back to forgetting God or do we continue to seek him like we did in the storm?
• Until we seek him, as he desires, we will continue to experience the storms of life calling us back to him

Mark 5:1–17 (NIV) They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

• Any observations? Some of my observations:
• I'm not sure who started the storm. Not all storms are from God. See Job. But all storms are allowed by God, and God uses all storms for good in a believer's life. This storm may have been designed to prevent Jesus from coming to Gerasenes and healing a man possessed by many demons
• Not every work of God will help the local economy. Jesus healing of this man wiped out a big pork industry
• Of course, it was against the religious law to eat port (or grow it, I think). It could be the Jews were eating pork, or more likely, they were making money selling the pork to local Gentiles
• I remember a good Christian friend who worked for the government in Indian affairs. He would argue with me that Indian casinos were a good thing because they helped the Indian tribes. I wonder if Jesus would agree. Even if the Jews weren't eating the pork, he had no trouble shutting down the local operation

• There is definitely a link between mental illness and chemical imbalance. Although, we really don't know what causes certain chemical imbalances. I wonder how much of our mental illness and health failures are the result of demonic influence manifesting itself in physical change in our bodies. One can treat the symptoms, but ultimately the source of the problem may well be spiritual
• The bible says that sin is causing decay on our planet. Things are not the way they are supposed to be
• Rom 8:20-22 (NIV) For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

• A lot of the garbage in this world is the result of sin and the effects of sin over the generations. Troubles and storms remind us that this is not the way God intended the world to be
• Luke 13:1-5 (NIV) Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
• Jesus doesn't give any answers for the death of the innocent Galileans by Pilate or the accident death of eighteen when the tower in Siloam fell. He didn't blame the government. He didn't blame the engineers or the manufacturers. His lesson was real simple: We need to repent. All of us are going to die someday and our most important need is to repent of our sin and turn to God. That's what the storms of life remind the unbeliever. The storms of life remind the believer to turn back to God, and may teach some lessons, but the unbeliever is called to repent

[OPTIONAL]

Mark 5:21-34 (NIV) When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

• If we were Jesus, we might say we were on a mission. We have somewhere we need to get to. It is very important
• I'm sure Jairus felt that way. I'm sure he was not happy at the interruption. His need was urgent, but Jesus (God) seemed slow to respond
• Isn't that the way we feel. It is so hard to wait, much like the boat being tossed by the storm, why does God tarry?

• The woman is also someone that most can relate to. She has a medical ailment. She had seen many doctors and had only suffered worse. She had spent all of her money. She was out of solutions
• But she believed that if she could only touch Jesus, just the hem of his clothes, she would be healed
• She reached out and touched the Savior (this is her cry to God at the end of her rope)
• It is interesting that Jesus does not let her go in a quiet private healing. He forces her to come forth publicly (we want to keep our faith private, but God wants it to be public)
• He tells her that her faith healed her. She believed she could be healed. She believed that God loved her and knew what was best for her

• In the meantime, one person's answer is another person's rejection
• The time spent with the woman has resulted in the death of the young girl
• Jairus had faith to believe Jesus could heal when she was alive, I'm sure he was heart broken, and nothing is said of his response, although his friends were convinced that it was over
• Sometimes a vision has to die before it can be restored
• Someone once called that the death of a vision
• Why does God allow visions to die, or a person to go broke searching for healing for an answer?
• Maybe it is because we only go to him when we have tried all other sources, and He is our last hope
• We need to go to him first and every day, so that he does not become last.

• SUMMARY:
• I was reading a blog on the internet where a young man was commenting about happy he was to have given up being a Christian, that a great weight was off his shoulders, and he felt so good and so free
• I should have wrote him. I felt very sad for him. You see, he is both right and wrong
• I grew up in a very religious upbringing. I was a very strong Catholic, but being a Christian was getting old for me as well. I'm not sure how much longer I could have continued my façade
• The problem is that I didn't know what a Christian was, nor did I understand that most of Christian religion has nothing to do with what Jesus truly taught
• I thought I grew up a Christian, but I was wrong. I wasn't a Christian. I was a person who called himself a Christian and attended a church that called itself Christian, but that doesn't make someone a Christian
• I've heard the gospel many times. Jesus died for my sins, was buried, and rose again from the grave
• But I never asked Christ to come into my heart and be my savior. I never knew what a real relationship with God was
• When I did that 33 years ago next week, I experienced a total change in my life. I understood what a real relationship with God was about. It is not about "BEING" a Christian, it is about growing in a relationship with Jesus Christ which completely transforms your life
• What true real freedom and joy!
• What a great hope I now have. I am a child of God. I am a son of the kingdom. I have an inheritance guaranteed. I have a future
• My sins are gone. I don't need to "BE," I need to enjoy Him!
• Thank you LORD!

Class Notes, Mark 3:7-6:6a (3:11-4:32)

Review:

o Mark establishes Jesus' authority

o Mark emphasizes the conflict over the spiritual leaders to Jesus' claim of being the Messiah, and also the son of God

· In 3:1-6, the leaders are looking for a capital offense, so they have obviously reached a decision

Mark 3:11-12 (NIV) Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.

· For those who say that the first three gospels do not make a claim of Jesus deity, this is the fourth major reference in Mark alone. First, the baptism, second, his authority over all things, third, his claim to be Lord of the Sabbath, and fourth his quieting of the demon-possessed because they knew his true identity.

Mark 3:20-21, 31-35 (NIV) Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

...

31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

· A number of points about the Catholic doctrine of Mary

o Some people interpret brother or sister to mean near relative or in the Christian generic sense

· There is a word for near relative, which the scriptures do use but is not used here

· The generic use of brother and sister does occur often in scripture, but the context is very clear. Here is would be difficult to argue a non-blood usage

o Note that the term family is used, which implies plural

o Note who is there, Mary, but not the Father mentioned, therefore who is the plural

Mark 3:22-30 (NIV) And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."

23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. 28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

· Obviously, the leaders have come to a conclusion regarding Jesus. He is possessed by Beelzebub

· Mark shortens a much longer discussion (seen in Matt 12) in to two short points

o First, it does not make sense for Satan to oppose Satan

o Second, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is defined (i.e., the unpardonable sin). In context, what is it?

· The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is having Jesus in the flesh before you, doing miracles and wonders, and speaking God's word, and saying (vs 30), that he has an evil spirit (Fruchtenbaum's argument)

o In Matt 12, we find that Jesus pronounces judgment on "this generation"

· The offer of the kingdom is withdrawn from the nation, but still open to individuals

· The nation will be destroyed and scattered

Mark 4:1-8 (NIV) Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

· A very familiar parable, but is the context for the next two sections

Mark 4:10-13 (NIV) When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

"'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

13 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

· Jesus makes a couple of key points

o The parables are intended to keep some things secret

o The disciples are given the secret of the kingdom of God

o Understanding the sower and the seeds is important to understanding other parables

Mark 4:14-20 (NIV) The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop — thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

· Seed: word of God

· Sown on path, open to birds. Birds: devil. No fruit

· Rocky places: no root, trouble or persecution causes them to fall away. No fruit

· Thorns: cares / worries of this world, deceitfulness of wealth, and desire for other things choke the word. No fruit

· Good soil: hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop. Fruit varies but ranges from 30 to 100-fold

· APPLICATION:

o Enemy of the word: Satan, the world, and the flesh

o No distinction is made as to who is a believer or not, except for the final soil

· Some insist that three of the four are believers

· Other only the last

· And still others that all but the last can represent believers and unbelievers (since we are discussing the impact of the word and not necessarily salvation)

Mark 4:21-25 (NIV) He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

· If you take all these verses together, as one context, what is the warning?

o If we do not use the things God has given or revealed to us, even those things will be taken away

· APPLICATON:

o I believe that the biblical growth does not include a principle of plateau-ing. You are either growing or you are regressing. There is no middle ground

Mark 4:26-29 (NIV) He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain — first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

· This parable may be the corollary to sower and the seed, except we are only talking about the final soil type. What is the point?

o The kingdom will grow mysteriously

o Like Jesus parable of the wind to Nicodemus, you can't see it but you see the effect

o And ultimately, there will be a harvest. We are expected to produce fruit with our Christian lives

Mark 4:30-32 (NIV) Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

· Last point. The kingdom of God starts out small and grows to a huge size. But one other things happens. The birds rest in the branches. Jesus said you couldn't understand the other parables if you didn't understand the parable of the sower. In that case, what might the birds refer to?

o Followers of Satan, those who try to take the word of God away, will roost in our churches. That, of course is true (see churches in Revelation).

o In this case, the kingdom of God might be more properly entitled "Christendom," because not everything that calls itself Christian is in fact Christian