The Gospel of Mark 4:21-25
21 And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp
brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the
lampstand? 22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything
been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear,
let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Beware what you listen to. By
your standard of measure it will be measured to you, and more will be given to
you. 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have,
even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
Last week Eric preached on the Parable of the Sower which
was about the Word of God being preached and the various soils the Word will
fall upon, the soil represents the heart of a person. The heart can be hard and
unyielding to the truth, or it could be shallow with no real foundation to
stand in trials, or it could be tangled up in the ways of the world choking out
the Word.
The Word of God is seen as a light that clears out the
darkness and exposes all truth. “Is a lamp brought to be under a basket or
under a bed?” “does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket?” Can
a city set on a hill be hidden? No light is hidden for a basket would
only conceal the light partly, it is better to put it on the lampstand, and
it gives light to all who are in the house.”
This is good for a well-lit house because it prevents those
inside from stumbling into objects or people. So, the word of God illuminates
the heart and reveals what is in the darkness, exposing it to the truth. “For
nothing is hidden, except to be revealed, nor has anything been secret, but
that it would come to light.”
There are many things we do in secret that we dismiss as
good for no one has seen what we are doing, or we conspire in secret with
others because all are approving. It doesn’t matter what the particular thing
is, what matters is the Word of God will expose that which is in your heart.
This is why John states in John 3:19-20 “This is the
judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness
rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil
hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.”
Why then do you not hear? “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This is the charge of those who have road-hard hearts, who
have shallow convictions, and who are tangled up in the world, Listen! The
truth is being preached to you. “How then will you call on Jesus in whom you
have not believed? How will you believe in Jesus whom you have not heard? And
how will you hear without a preacher?”
For we preach Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. I present you
to Jesus as I read His very word to you. If You have ears, hear the truth which
Jesus speaks through those who are sent to preach so that you may hear, that
you would believe and have salvation as the word grows in the fertile soil of
your heart.
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that
is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, leading to
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.” Romans
10:8-10
But he cautions His disciples saying “Beware what you
listen to. By your standard of measure, it will be measured to you, and more
will be given to you. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever
does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
Have you paid attention to what you are listening to? Have
you paid attention to what you speak of? I recently spoke of a controversial
figure in our day to a friend and he stated this point. “He (the world leader)
was Anti-American,” I asked him how he came to that understanding. It was
taught to him by the culture we live in, the truth was not that the figure was
anti-American, it was that he was a patriot of his own country, not America,
and was Pro-his nation.
Thus, whatever you listen to you must use caution, even the
Bereans were noble enough to search the scriptures to verify what Paul was
bringing to them they wanted to see the truth in the light of God’s Word. They
didn’t just accept the word of Paul, they took the time to think and know from
the true source of wisdom and knowledge, that which is the light, the Word of
God.
Don’t just take my word either, just because I stand up here
and proclaim Christ, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use caution. Seek the truth, in
Jesus' own words. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of
both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the
heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are
uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we have an account to give.”
Hebrews 4:12-13
And by the measure of what you know you will be measured,
that standard to which you hold to you will be held to as well. You who preach
do not lie; do you lie? You who preach do not steal; do you steal? For when you
hold anyone to a standard you will be first measured and if you are found
faithful more will be given to you. Faithful to what? To the only true standard
of life, the light of God, His Scriptures for “All Scripture is God-breathed
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness, so that the man of
God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
But to the one that does not have, those with hard hearts,
shallow convictions, and tangled up in the world, what do you stand on? For all
that you think you have it will be taken from you. Like a man who was given a one-pound
gold bar and buries it in the ground, when his time has come, and he must
account for its growth and has nothing it will be taken from him and given to
others who have profited. And the man
would be cast out of the kingdom to perish.
Is this you? Have you squandered the truth? “Because that
which is known about God is evident within you; for God made it evident to you.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what
has been made, so that you are without excuse. For even though you know God,
you do not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but you have become futile in your
thoughts, and your foolish heart was darkened.” Romans 1:19-21
Let those who have ears hear and listen to the words of God for
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners repress the truth and
hide in their darkness because they love the darkness, they are vile, foolish,
rebellious, haters of God who are lost in their condemnation and will be judged
and sent to hell where they will burn for eternity in the lake of fire.
When you die you will face judgment for your sins by God.
God is just and cannot by His nature abide by sin nor dismiss it. Because you
have adopted the ideologies of this world and the doctrines of men, become slaves
to your sexual desires, perversions of the flesh and mind, who rebel at the
created order of God and stand condemned to death and destruction and are
destined for eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
But God so loved His creation, Mankind, that He sent His Son Christ Jesus who can forgive your sins and restore you whole again, for He has the authority and the power. Jesus brings life to all who repent and believe. For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe in Him. He suffered the totality of God’s Wrath upon Himself on the Cross which every sinner deserves so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God. Jesus has risen from the dead, conquering death, and lives. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and He is in your midst with us, come out of the darkness as we proclaim the light of His salvation.
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