WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOD DOING?
Mark 4:21-34
INTRO: In Mark 1:15, Jesus says the kingdom of God is near, meaning that in the person of Jesus God’s kingdom comes near. God has arrived on the scene, to establish his rule, take back what is his.
If that is so, then I have some questions:
1. Why are innocent children starving and homeless in Kosovo?
2. Why are Christians, been persecuted, displaced and killed in the Phillipines?
3. Why is hate lodged so deep in human hearts?
4. Why do our nation’s children kill one another?
5. Why do so many families break up, leaving children without parents, and so many parents on their own?
6. Why do believers suffer lingering illness or relentless tragedy?
7. Why do I suffer? Lose my job? Stay trapped by my addictions?
If the kingdom has come near, what in the world is God doing?
PREV: Do you ever ask these questions? Are there answers to these questions? I believe there are. Today I’d like us to discover the answers. The answers have to do with how God works, how God goes about accomplishing his plan. Today Jesus walks us through the answers in a series of short stories, called parables found in Mark 4. I believe the answers we uncover today will give you hope, faith, courage, and motivation.
The first parable is about a lamp. As I read Mark 4: 21-23, notice the purpose of a lamp.
A. God is revealing himself through Jesus Christ
Do you bring a lamp into a room to cover it up or hid it under the couch, or bed? Obviously not. A lamp is meant to shine, to be seen.
If a light is covered, it will eventually be brought out.
There is something hidden, concealed that will eventually be disclosed, brought out into the open.
Jesus is talking about himself – Cf. John 8:12.
Jesus and his mission were gradually coming to light, being revealed one step at a time.
This is the context of the book of Mark – the gradual revealing of Christ. There’s a climax in chapter 8 when Peter confesses, and in chapter 16 when Christ is risen.
This is Jesus’ answer to the question “what in the world is God doing?” If the kingdom is near, if you are the Son of God and all, why aren’t things going better, moving along more quickly? Why are so many rejecting you? This is the kingdom of God? One guy talking in stories? Seems a little obscure...
Jesus says, it may be hidden now, but eventually it will be revealed in all its brightness! The Parousia!
B. We must wait for God to fully reveal himself
This is the same thing Jesus says to us when we look around and say, “The kingdom hasn’t made much progress.”
• In our world
• In our community
• In our lives
The kingdom of God may seem small, or thwarted, or like it is losing ground, but not so. It just hasn’t been fully revealed yet.
One day the cover will come off, the veil will be removed. When Jesus returns, it won’t be in veiled fashion, but as the glorious Lord of the Harvest.
Next week Matthew Lee, George and Liz’s son, will get married. Like most weddings, everyone will gather, waiting for the ceremony to begin, for the bride and groom to appear. As the time people expect the bride to appear nears, there will be nervous anticipation. People will begin to inch forward to the edge of their seats, getting ready. That’s the same kind of ‘edge of the seat’ anticipation we should have as we wait for the Lord to fully reveal himself. But like most weddings, it probably won’t start exactly on time. But the fact that the Bride doesn’t appear when they expect it doesn’t mean she won’t appear...
This period of hiddeness is just a prelude to the period of manifestation. This apparent obscurity will be exchanged for Messianic glory and power.
We just have to wait for it, on the edge of our seat. . Jesus will burst forth! This should give us hope and faith!
I. WE ARE WAITING ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS FOR GOD TO FULLY REVEAL HIMSELF
We can be confident that God will fully reveal himself – otherwise it would be as pointless as keeping a light under the bed
There will be full disclosure, full revealing, we have to wait for it.
Transition: So this is a period of waiting for God to fully reveal himself. Why? What for? What do we do in the mean time? What happens now? Jesus shows us what an opportunity this time of waiting is in our next parable. Jump down to verse 26 with me. Jesus will tell us here what the Kingdom of God is like. Read Mark 4:26-29.
A. This time of waiting is a time of planting
Here’s what happens now, here’s how it works. Its like the planting/growing/ harvesting cycle.
A man plants seeds, the seeds sprout and grow, then there is a harvest.
Jesus was saying his work was sowing.
In v. 14 Jesus said the sower sows the word.
The word, the seed is the proclamation of Jesus that in Him the kingdom has drawn near, in him is life w/ the Father.
That is what Jesus was doing – sowing, scattering, planting.
That job is ours now – Jesus has given it to us.
Cf. “You will be my witnesses.” Acts 1:8
There is tremendous opportunity to plant seeds during this time of waiting for the final appearance of the kingdom. That’s why he hasn’t fully revealed himself yet!
B. This planting results in a harvest
First there is a planting. After a lapse of time, there would definitely be a harvest. The whole point of planting is to produce a harvest. Why else would you plant?
The promise here is that there will be a harvest – its certain. God wants that harvest, intends for it to occur in your life and through your life – we talked about that last week.
C. God is the one who causes the growth.
Something happens in the time between the planting and the harvest. Something definitely happens!
The seed germinates, sprouts, and grows.
This is where we discover how the harvest happens, how it is this super harvest God wants will occur in your life, in our church, in our city. Did you notice how it happened?
The seed grows all by itself! The farmer doesn’t even know how it occurs. He just does his job, but he doesn’t cause the growth, he just nurtures it.
The growth process it self is mysterious, unseen, and it is without human intervention!! Did you see that!
This is about the kingdom of God, remember?
God’s kingdom grows of its own accord – God is active!
The planting of the seed unleashes mysterious forces which operate of themselves and result in the accomplishment of the sovereign purpose of God.
The growth of the kingdom is God’s doing.
We often think we are responsible for growth. We’re not.
What’s our part? What’s our role?
Look back up at verse 24. Read Mark 4:24-25.
Hearing is important. Hearing = the measure.
The extent to which you hear is the extent to which you will receive the kingdom of God.
If you hear with eagerness, and joy and appropriate it, you will receive a salvation far richer than you can imagine.
If you reject it, are hard-hearted, you will experience the ultimate loss.
So our part is first to listen, receive, appropriate.
What else do we do?
We plant, and we harvest, but the growth of the kingdom in someone’s life is a spiritual thing – its a God thing!
The harvest is not what we bring about. Its the seed!
We often get frustrated with lack of response...
But God says just plant. When the seed is sown it mysteriously, irresistibly grows.
Just plant – the harvest will occur!
Illus.: Bill and Gloria’s story. They planted the seed in Bill’s daughter, God made it grow, brought harvest.
Often we don’t plant the seed because we don’t believe there will be a harvest. We think its our responsibility to convince, persuade people to believe in Christ. And we don’t think we are capable, so we don’t do anything, say anything to our friends.
But God says plant, and I’ll produce a harvest.
You begin to plant seeds when you live an authentic Christian life – no faking it.
You plant seeds when you build relationships with people who don’t know Christ.
You plant seeds when you share with them your story – how God has worked in your life.
You plant seeds when you bring them to Harvest, or to your group.
II. WHILE WE WAIT WE ARE PLANTING FOR A HARVEST
There will be a harvest. In the meantime, we participate in planting that God will grow into a harvest.
Trans: In the last story today, Jesus talks to us about this harvest. Notice what it is like as I read Mark 4:30-32.
This is a story of contrast between the smallest of seeds and the tallest of shrubs.
The kingdom of God is not likened to the mustard seed, but to what happens to the mustard seed. It goes from the smallest to the tallest in the garden! Its pretty surprising that this little, tiny seed ends up a plant big enough to hold birds! Mustard plants in that region could grow to be 8-10 feet tall!
Again, this is about God’s kingdom. Though insignificant in its beginning, the matured result is huge, providing strength and protection for those who come within its shade
God isn’t limping along, struggling. He’s not the head of a loser movement. He’s growing something big!
Our society is so anti-God, we think we’re on a losing team.
Remember the mustard seed! The day will come when God’s kingdom will surpass in glory the mightiest kingdoms of the earth.
The word of God proclaimed by Christ = the mustard seed! It possesses the power to make all things new.
Don’t you love being a part of the winning team?
III. THE HARVEST WILL BE GLORIOUS!
[FINAL SLIDE]
AS WE WAIT ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS FOR GOD TO FULLY REVEAL HIMSELF, LET’S PLANT IN PREPARATION FOR A GLORIOUS HARVEST
