Tonight is where we'll continue as we look through the Gospel of Mark. We've spent quite a bit of time already to get to this point, and I look forward to continuing to share with you from the Word of God what he has for us in Mark's Gospel. We reached a place now in this chapter, if you remember last two weeks ago, where we looked at the fact that Jesus had been very confrontational in chapter 2 and 3, and when we moved into chapter 4 where he really began to teach a lot of different lessons. Last time we looked at Mark's gospel, we looked at a familiar parable known as the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils. And we spent a lot of time trying to interpret that as to how our heart receives the Word of God. It receives it in one of those four ways, typified in those soils. And tonight we're going to continue looking at three other parables that Jesus gives us in Mark chapter 4, verses 21 to 35. The title of the message tonight is simply, Parables and Principles. And I want to frame this sermon with a question as we get started, and that is, Do you ever have doubts or confusion about what God is doing? Do you ever have doubts or confusion about what God is doing? And do you ever wonder if what you're doing in your Christian life is making a difference? I think that all of us can say we've had those questions, and I don't pretend to be able to give you all the answers to those tonight, but I think we can see from some of Jesus's teaching tonight that there are some answers to that. I would like to give you two examples of people in the Old Testament that felt that way and asked those same kinds of questions. And the first was Elijah. If you remember the story of Elijah, he had just had a great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God, you know, meets his sacrifice. The fire comes down, consumes the sacrifice, consumes the water. The prophets of Baal are slaughtered there. And a great victory occurs. And then what happens in Elijah's life? Jezebel, King Ahab's wicked wife, puts a bounty out on his head, basically. She says that she is going to make sure that he's put to death. We see Elijah fleeing into the wilderness, sitting down under a tree, and he says these words in 1 Kings 19, verse 4. It says, But he himself, Elijah, when a day's journey ended the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper or a broom tree, and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. Here's a great prophet of God that's been used in many mighty ways, that just experienced a great spiritual victory, and here he is now asking God to take his life away. For the circumstances around him seemed overwhelming. That doesn't seem like the next chapter in a story of some great man of God after he just won a victory. And oftentimes we ourselves are walking in what seems to be victory only to have what appears to be the rug pulled out from under us and we're back in the valley. It's not uncommon. Let me give you another. Moses was another situation. You know that Moses was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness. He was providing for them supernaturally with food, this manna that would come down and be there for them every morning. They could eat as much as they needed to sustain them that day. There was always enough. If they collected too much, it would rot and stink. So there was just enough to meet their needs every day. But the people quickly got tired of this manna. You know, the children of Israel began to complain, as we all do sometimes, that the way that God provides for us is not good enough. And so we come to Numbers chapter 11, and we see them complaining about this manna, and they begin to long for Egypt. They begin to want to go back. It's funny, in verse 5, they even say that we ate, you know, the garlic and the leeks and all these things, and we had them at no cost. My oh my, what a cost there was for them to get that food. The slavery for 400 years, the bondage, the hard labor, all the things that were going on around them, and yet all they could remember was that one little brief good thing in the midst of all that bad. And so they say, we had that at no cost, but they had quite a cost if they would have just thought. But listen to what Moses says as these people complain more and more about their situation. Numbers 11, verse 11 to 15, it says, Said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swearest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal'st with me, kill me. I pray thee, out of thy hand, if I have found favor in thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness." Again, this great man of God, used in such a mighty way, gets to a place in his life where things just are overwhelming. They just have reached a boiling point to the place where Moses says, I'm done. I would just rather die than go on and have to sustain and put up with any more. Because things had gotten confusing. What God was doing didn't seem to make sense to Elijah, didn't seem to make sense to Moses, and maybe tonight, or at times in your past, or perhaps times in your future, you'll get to a place where things are confusing and not as expected. So tonight in Mark's Gospel, I want you to look with me at these three parables, and I want us to ask three questions, and I'm sure that you've probably asked at least one of these, maybe all. The first question is, will I ever understand? Will I ever understand? The second one is, is my work for God making a difference? And the last one is, will this kingdom that we've heard about and talked about so often ever come? Will this kingdom ever come? So let's look tonight in Mark's gospel for some answers. Mark chapter 4. The first parable you'll find is in verse 21 to 24. It says, He said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested, neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad. And if any man have ears to hear, let him hear. I want you to think about that parable for a minute as they look at the symbolism of a light, of a candle. Now oftentimes we think of the church as being a light or as Christians as being a light, and obviously that's true. But the real context of this parable begins with the fact that Jesus himself is the light. I don't want you to skip over that. Because He was the light that had come into the world. John 8, 12 says that Jesus spoke again unto them saying, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He also says in John 12, 46, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me shall not abide in darkness. So you see Jesus opening up these mysteries to his people and proclaiming the fact that the light of God is now before them. All of these mysteries that were contained in the Old Testament, all the prophecies that had yet to be fulfilled are now being fulfilled right before their very eyes. This light is now shining. The light that leads into the kingdom is now before them. And many of his people had already rejected that. But Jesus came to reveal God to a sinful world, to sinful mankind. Hebrews 1.1 says that in the latter days He has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. That light revealing to us our sinful nature and the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. John 1.18, as we look at some other scriptures, says no man has seen God at any time The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him, or made Him known. So you see, John is explaining the fact that Jesus Christ has come to reveal God, and we've talked about that in other sermons at other times, that if you want to see God the Father, all you have to do is look to Jesus Christ, and you will get a perfect picture of God Himself. His light shined, and many men hated Him for it. As we read through these accounts in the Gospel of Mark and in the other Gospels, we see the fact that much of the world was out to kill him. Specifically, the Pharisees had partnered up, you remember, with the Herodians, and from that moment on in John 3, 6 when we read that, they had plotted to kill Jesus, all of the teaching and all of the things that he were doing concerning the Old Testament law, the legalism, the traditions, their self-righteousness, as he preached about those things when they nitpicked about the Sabbath and fasting, and he would come back with answers that related to grace instead of law, they were boiling mad because he was exposing their hypocrisy. He was exposing their self-righteousness, and it got so bad that they finally just wanted to silence him. And so that light was shining bright, and many people were hating him for it, as they do today. It's no different. Jesus Christ is just, if not more, despised today as he's ever been. But in the same sense, that light which blinds sinful men and makes them flee because men love darkness rather than the light also draws people. It also draws many people. As that light shines, many people are attracted to it like a moth is attracted to a light. So the same power in Christ that might harden a heart will draw a heart to Him. It's a beautiful picture. And they thought that they had put that light out when they crucified Him on the cross. Satan rejoiced. The world rejoiced for three days. But on the third day as he rose again, that light shined like never before. That resurrection power was revealed and the light was shining. But also as we think about this light, Jesus was just the beginning of what was going to carry on up until now and into the time when finally the church is raptured away and the tribulation ends, where that light is going to continue to shine. How is that going to happen? Well, Jesus said when he goes away, what was he going to do? He was going to send back a comforter, an advocate, the paraclete, the Holy Spirit. To continue that ministry, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16, John 14, 16 whom I shall send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." So even though Jesus has ascended back to the Father, the Holy Spirit continues on that light-giving ministry. And how does He do that? He dwells within His people, and He uses His people to shine and reflect the light of Christ through us, through the church. through the church is how that light continues to shine. And he says there's nothing in verse 22, hid which shall not be manifested, neither was anything kept secret that it should come abroad. Think about that for a minute. When you ask that question, will I ever understand? Will I ever understand the mysteries of God? As the Holy Spirit works, He begins to open our eyes to the truth. As we get into the Word of God, this process begins in us from the time we're saved all the way through our Christian life, where we are growing and maturing and learning more and more about God and more about His Kingdom work. And the application to that is in verse 23, If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. Take heed, in verse 24, what you hear, with what measure you meet it shall be measured to you. And unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath to him shall be given, and he that hath not from him shall be taken even what he has. The application of what Jesus is saying is this light came into the world beginning with Christ. As He left the earth, the Holy Spirit now indwells believers who are continuing on that light-giving, light-shining mission. And He continues to illuminate us, ourselves, to learn and grow more. But as we talked about with the parable of the soils, you have got to hear to receive any benefit from the Word of God, from the Holy Spirit's ministry, and as you hear, that is applied by exercising faith. By exercising faith, many of us store up all kinds of information and knowledge and have great wisdom and are very sound theologically, but have never put our knowledge into practice. And James, remember when we talked about last week or two weeks ago? Be what? Doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves. It's great to come and listen to the Word of God, but it's fruitful to apply it and do something with it. That's what we want to do is bear fruit with what we've learned. And so when we respond by listening and our faith is active, the message that we hear when applied will grow us and mature us and make us more into the image of Christ, which is the Holy Spirit's work in us. He is conforming us to be more like Christ. But the danger, he says, is if you don't apply it, if you don't use it, what you had will be taken away. It will dry up. It's just like anything else. I realized the other day on Friday night when we had softball practice that I hadn't played in a long time, and I used to be able to run for 10 hours up and down a basketball court and not get tired and not get sore. I haven't done that in a long time, and I can tell you tonight that it's a struggle to just stand here. That's why I'm holding on to this pulpit so tight. I'm sore because I haven't exercised. And spiritually, if you never ever allow yourself to be exercised by using your faith, you'll dry up and get withered, as Jesus said. So the application to this is, will I ever understand? Yes. As you apply that faith, things will become more and more clear to you. God will reveal more to those that something is given. He says more will be given unto you as you grow. But to learn more, you have to want more and you have to exercise the faith that he gives before you'll receive more. It's a process. Will we ever understand everything completely in this life? No. But will we understand much more as we grow and use what he's given us? Absolutely. So my encouragement to you is to continue to trust him, continue to look for those opportunities where God speaks to you, and then take those steps of faith to apply them to your life. He next gives us another parable in verse 26, where he says, And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, and he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." We put out a garden. I put out a garden every year. And just recently, a few weeks ago, I should say, put it out. And Emily helped me with that. And we got it all finished. And about a week later, she said, are we going to go out and pick green beans today? Well, I had to explain to her that when you plant that, there's a process that's occurring under the ground, and we don't just get green beans a day or a week after you put them in the ground. It takes some time for those things to come up, and we get a harvest, hopefully, from what we've done. But does that mean because we planted the green beans last week and we don't have anything right now in my house to eat, as far as green beans are concerned, that the garden is a failure? No one thinks that because we understand that there's a process that's occurring. But I think when we look at the way that God works in our lives and in our churches, We're expecting an event, just like Emily was expecting an event. We are saying we did this, so now we expect this. And we often expect it in a certain amount of time, don't we? But what we need to understand in what Jesus is saying in this parable is as we sow seed, There's a process taking place. We're not looking for just a one-time big event. There's things occurring every day. There's things occurring in my garden right now. Those seeds are germinating. They're taking root. And there are things that we can do, that I can do as a gardener, to help cultivate that by watering, weeding, preparing the soil. All those things are necessary. But none of those things are putting green beans, per se, right on my plate at that moment. But they're preparing us for a time when we will. Sometimes, when we look for a specific event, we get discouraged. Because we think, I've done all these things, and I haven't yet received the harvest that I feel I ought to. I know as a pastor, sometimes I feel that I've spent so much effort and energy to prepare a message, and you preach, and you don't see people come to the altar, or you don't see people get saved, or sometimes you feel that people are just, they're here physically, but they're not here mentally. They've just checked out on you. And sometimes that's discouraging. Sometimes you put in a lot of effort to prepare an event. And you get something together, and you work hard, and you're hopeful for a big turnout, and one or two people show up. And you think, man, is this worth it? Should I even waste my time doing this anymore? Because we train ourselves to look for one big event, whereas kingdom work is a lifetime event. It's a lifetime event. And if we can set our minds on the big picture, we won't get so discouraged when we don't see results every time we do something. Because, like I said, we may not see the results, but that doesn't mean that something isn't being cultivated. Something isn't happening underneath the soil. And what encourages me in this parable is It says in verse 26, so is the kingdom of God if a man should cast seed into the ground and then should sleep. You see that? Verse 26, you cast the seed and then what does he do? He goes to bed. All he had to do was sow the seed and then he went to bed. He didn't have to worry about anything else. and rise night and day. Days go on. Time passes. He says, this guy planted the seed, and then he just rested. He just rested. That doesn't mean that we're not actively involved in doing things, but as far as the seed growing and producing is concerned, it was a step of faith. Farming is a step of faith, is it not? Because we prepare that soil and we get everything ready, and then our job is to put the seed in the ground. And it's up to the Lord to take care of the rest. We cannot be certain that things are going to go as they ought to. Floods, droughts, a bad harvest, whatever might happen, it's out of our hands. It's a step of faith. And it's the same way with what we do with the work of God. We're called to sow that seed. And what happens is a result of faith. John 3 says, The wind blows where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but can't tell whence it comes and where it goes. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit. It's a supernatural work. God saves people by grace, through faith. But it's a supernatural work. We cannot save anyone. It has got to be the Holy Spirit regenerating that person as they exercise faith in Christ. And so that, for me, has been a great help because I used to feel that unless someone was saved at every service that I had failed and I didn't understand that my duty was simply to sow seed, to sow seed, and to sow seed. And so I try to keep that perspective in mind when I come to a service and no one makes a decision, no one moves, maybe most of you just yawn and look at me. I still believe that that was beneficial. I still believe it was beneficial because that seed went out, the word went out. I think of Marcus sometimes, and I've told Marcus this many times, youth ministry is a terribly trying ministry because it's very difficult to sometimes motivate teenagers. If you have teenagers, say amen. It's very difficult, not just because of a ministry, but just for life in general. It's hard to motivate. And sometimes we feel like, man, is this worth it? Is it worth putting in all the effort for the event? Yes, it is. It is. You're cultivating a work in their hearts, and you will see a harvest from that. But the harvest is not our job, and that's encouraging, too. He says, that the seed should spring and grow up, and he knows not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come. He will gather his people. He will save his people as we proclaim the word of God. And so simply tonight I would encourage you, if you're struggling with the fact is my work making any difference, is what I'm doing really matter? Absolutely. Because it's not one big event. It's not a firework that goes up in some great explosion with lights and sound and then it fizzles out. It's a lifetime event and oftentimes the work seems like a lot of labor for no results. But don't get discouraged because God is working and God is doing something in the lives of his people. And just when you think that nothing's happening, you'll see the first signs of the fruit on the vines, the green beans on the plants. So don't be discouraged in what you're doing. And finally tonight, the last parable, is this kingdom ever going to come? Look at what he says in verse 30 to 34, the parable of the mustard seed as we know it. He said, Where unto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when it is sown in the earth is less or smaller than all the seeds that be in the earth. But when it is sown, it groweth up and becomes greater than all herbs and shooteth out great branches so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. Think about what Jesus said there. I want to give you a story about a lady named Martha Berry. Martha Berry was born in Rome, Georgia in 1886. She was born to a wealthy family, had a vast estate, her family did, and her father built her a log cabin that she could go out and play in. And Martha Berry would go to this cabin very often and play. And as she got a little bit older, she began to go out there and use it as a quiet place to study and read her Bible. And she was doing that one time as a teenager when she heard some children playing outside. And she peeked out the door and she saw many of these impoverished children that lived in the mountainous areas around just outside the cabin playing. And she felt compassion towards these children. And she began to bring them into the cabin, and she began to teach them Bible studies. She began to teach them lessons from the Bible, and she also began to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic, because many of them had no way to get to school, no education, and she felt sorry for them and wanted to help. And so, as this began to grow and begin to get bigger in this little cabin, in 1902, she decided that she would raise funds to open a boys' school. And in matter of fact, she worked very hard at that and opened the Berry Industrial School for Boys and began to teach more and more. And it grew to a place where it got so big that she also opened programs for little girls. And if you visit Rome, Georgia today, you can still see that little cabin where Martha Berry would go and teach these kids. And you can also, what's encouraging to me, is see what her little mustard seed has grown into. Let me read to you from the brochure of Berry College. It sits on 28,000 beautiful acres of Georgia real estate. There are 38 major buildings and well over 2,000 students. Berry College is widely recognized as one of the outstanding comprehensive colleges in the Southern United States. A school that had very humble beginnings has been a blessing to tens of thousands of Americans. That was what happened with a little mustard seed and some faith and one woman that wanted to make a difference. It grew into something great. And think about what the disciples must have felt as Jesus talked to them there. They thought, remember, that the kingdom was going to come in at any time when the Messiah came back. He was going to overthrow Roman rule and establish an earthly kingdom and set it up at that moment. And yet, as Jesus teaches, Remember the pictures that we've been seeing. Great multitudes would flock to Him, weren't they? He was feeding them, He was healing them, great crowds would come. And Jesus didn't relish that, but He kept moving around. Remember, He started to set up this great ministry in Capernaum, and then He moved on to another area when things seemed to just be starting to go, and He would start to teach difficult things, and all the people would leave. They'd get discouraged or get upset and leave, or He would move. And the disciples had to be thinking, you know, every time we start to grow a little bit, you do something controversial, or you move away from where things are going good to somewhere else, and we're stuck with this same little group again. We're just stuck with a few disciples. When are we going to grow? When are we going to get moving and establishing this kingdom? When is it ever going to happen, Jesus? Don't we feel that way sometimes in churches? and even in Christianity in general, when is this church ever going to grow? It seems like we're just kind of here a little, here a little, there a little. When is Christianity ever going to grow? It seems like we're losing more people than we're gaining, and Christianity's dying off, and doom and gloom, and we hear these news reports, and we always focus on the fact that numerically we're getting smaller and smaller and smaller. But does that mean that we failed? Does that mean that the kingdom is dying off and that God isn't going to be able to do something? Jesus took this little group and transformed the world. And he still will take his people, his remnant, whatever size, number that might be, and ultimately make a difference in the world. He says that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And nothing is going to stop that. Not ISIS, not terrorism, not false prophets in the church. God's work is going to continue to grow. There's always going to be faithful people that carry on the work. And that little mustard seed will grow as we continue to proclaim the good news of Christ. The lesson that I want you to take away from this parable is Don't get so caught up in the number part of things, but learn patience and perseverance. Learn patience and perseverance. Those are two very difficult things, but that's what this lesson teaches. It starts out as something very small. And again, just like the seed takes time to grow, this little tiny mustard seed will grow into a great plant, a great tree, as the Kingdom of God does. As God is blessing us here at this church, we started out with humble beginnings and it's taken a long time, but I believe we're starting to see the fruit of many faithful men that have pastored here and labored here and sown the seed of the gospel. And many faithful workers that have invested and tried their best to be an example to those around them. God is bringing forth the increase in this season. Why he chose to do it now, I don't know. It's his plan. It's his church. But I just rejoice in the fact that that little mustard seed is starting to grow. And I believe it will continue to grow as we follow him. But we have to be patient. And we have to just hang on and trust that his will will be done. So tonight, I want to just close by encouraging you with these words from these parables. The first one being, one day you will understand the plan and works of God. He reveals things as he sees fit. But as you seek him, as you listen, as you apply faith, you're going to grow and understand more and more. And one day we'll see him face to face and it'll all make perfect sense. His plan will make sense because he is good. He is sovereign. He's perfect in every way. And so the things that we don't understand now will all be made clear to us. The second parable tells us that our work is worth it. But it's not an event. Let's get out of that mentality that we're looking for just one big event. It is something that we're going to do all our lives. Sowing that seed is a lifetime process. But just trust God for the harvest. Just sow it. Put it in the ground. You don't have to keep... Imagine if I went out to that garden every night and dug up those seeds and had to look at them and stick them back in the ground. That'd be ridiculous. But that's what we feel like doing sometimes in our Christian experience. We want to keep going and digging up the seeds and check the progress of things. Put them in the ground, pray over them, and trust God for the harvest. And finally, be patient and persevere because God can take something very small and make it great. He did it with his disciples. Look at the way it's spread. Look at the way the church grew. Look at the way the Word of God has been taken into all the world. Many places are still without it, but it is certainly spread and continues to. So I'm going to ask Jeff tonight as we get ready for the invitation. Maybe in a small crowd like this, I don't know your hearts, but maybe you've never really trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Maybe for a long time you've come to church and you've heard the things of God but have never allowed Him to become your Lord and Savior in your life. Maybe you haven't sown the way that you ought to. Maybe God is calling you into a specific ministry to sow seed and it's time to make that step. Maybe you're just struggling to patiently wait on him. You've been laboring and you've been discouraged. I would encourage you tonight that a harvest is coming in his time. Don't stop sowing. Don't stop watering. God will give the increase. As we stand tonight and as we sing, if you need to come, the altar is open. The Savior is waiting to enter your heart. Why don't you let Him come in? There's nothing in this world to keep you apart. What is your answer to Him? Time after time he has waited before and now he is waiting again. Are you willing to open that door? To see if you're willing to open the door. Oh how he wants to come in. Thank you all again for being here tonight. I thank you for all again that you've done, and I look forward to a great week of BBS. If you're able to come out, stop in, even if you're not a part of anything as far as serving is concerned. Just come out and check in on things. You'll really be blessed to see all the kids here, and it's good to see Brother Steve Renfrow, our missionary here with us tonight. It's always a blessing to have Steve and Carol with us. So, Steve, do you mind tonight to close us out, please? Thank you.