Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 4:21-23"

     Thank you for reading the message this week. After all of the bad storms and upsets over the last few days, I am trying to get things back on course. I am glad to be able to post the message after all that has happened. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. 

     We have been studying the Gospel of Mark for some time now, and I want us to pick back up with that today. In our text for today, we have two different ideas going on, and we will focus on both of them. 

     Jesus begins by telling us that the purpose of a lamp or a light is not to be brought out in order to be covered up and hidden. Its purpose is to illuminate the darkness and shine its light into the dark places of a home or building so that people can see. 

     Spiritually, Jesus is telling us as His followers that we are to be the ones who are shining the light of His love and grace and transforming power into this world. We don't want to cover up our light. We don't want to go through our days in this world without people knowing that we are followers of the Lord Jesus. 

     Being people who shine the light I think involves at least two things. First of all, shining the light means sharing the truth of the Gospel with others in this world. It means that we tell others about who Jesus is and what He has done. We tell others about the life changing power of Jesus and how they can know Him and the power of His resurrection. Shining the light means fulfilling the Great Commission. 

     To my way of thinking, shining the light also means that we shine the message of Jesus into the problems and difficulties that this world is facing. For instance, there is much injustice and hurt and oppression in this world. The Lord Jesus had much to say about living in peace and practicing non-violence while at the same time helping others and making the world a better place. Shining the light means telling this world what Jesus would have us do in regard to the issues of the day. We shine the light in this way when we stand against oppression and when we advocate for the poor and the marginalized within this world. 

     Now, there is something else going on in our verses for this week. J.B Phillips was a Bible scholar who did a paraphrase of the Bible several years back. I like how he puts a portion of our text, "There is nothing hidden that is not meant to be made perfectly plain one day, and there are no secrets which are not meant one day to be common knowledge."

     What does this mean? It is in the context of shining the light. One day, all the thoughts and intents of the heart of people will be made clear when Jesus returns as judge and ruler of the universe. The truth about evil, sin and wickedness will be revealed. All will come to light. People are not getting away with anything so to speak. 

     There is also a positive aspect of this statement by Jesus. One day, everyone will know the truth about who He is and what He has done. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

     Let each of us shine the light of the love of the Lord out into the world. Let us make a difference for time and for eternity. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     I continue to ask for your prayers. I am having a hard time right now. Please keep praying for me. Thank you. 

     Please continue to pray for peace. Pray that the conflict with Iran will end and pray for peace throughout the Middle East and in Lebanon. Pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan and Myanmar. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Cambodia and Gambia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the verses on Tuesday and we will continue in Mark. May God bless you all. 

My Old Friend

     Today is the birthday of my friend Toby. I miss him now more than ever. I hope that we can be together again soon. I thank the Lord for bringing us together and giving us a lot of good years. 

Verses For The Week And An Update

      Just wanted to give an update on some things that are happening. We have had terrible weather in my area as of late. Last week, a tornado came very near my town and caused some damage. I was not badly damaged, and I thank the Lord for that. Some of my neighbors had quite a bit of damage. Please pray for all who have been affected by storms in my area. I hope to get back on track with the blog this week. Please pray that there will be a lull in the stormy weather. 

Verses

Isaiah 40:29 -- "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

Weekend Sermon

  I am not doing well this week. I am facing a very hard time and hope you will pray for me. I am going to repost a past message this week. Thank you. 

Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for reading the sermon this week, and I thank the Lord for this opportunity.

Over the course of the last few messages, we've been examining some of the characteristics that should be part of the growing Christian's life.

Today, we look at good works. Before we get too deep into the message, I want to clearly state that no one is offered salvation and forgiveness by the Lord based on the performance of good deeds. Ephesians chapter 2 makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. This same chapter also tells us that we are saved unto good works.

James tells us something similar in his epistle. He tells us that, "faith without works is dead." What James is trying to tell us is that a person who has a true possession of faith and not an empty profession of faith will be living a life filled with doing good in the world for the honor and glory of the Lord. 

We always need to look at what Jesus has to say on a subject. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "Let your light shine before men so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." In other words, Jesus is telling us that when we do good deeds in the world, they help point others toward the God who we worship. 

This is exactly what Jesus did while He was ministering here on Earth. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went around doing good and freeing those who were opressed by the devil. 

So, what kind of good works should we be doing? Jesus tells us this in Matthew 25. He tells us to do good to those who are the least among us. That means feeding the hungry, providing clothing, visiting sick people and those who are in prison. 

There are many ways that we can do good in this world. There are many hurting people who need us to care about them. This planet and its creatures need someone to care and help. The world needs the help of Christians who will seek the path of peace with justice. 

Another way that we can do good in the world is to tell others about the love of Jesus. This will make a radical difference in the lives of those who turn their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This week, let each of us find some way to do what is right and good in this world in the name of Jesus and for His glory. Amen

Verses For The Week

 Proverbs 3:27 -- "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."

Galatians 6:9-10 -- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Mark 4:1-20"

     Welcome to this edition of the sermon. These last few days since the last time I posted the sermon have been wild near where I live. A tornado smashed up a little town not far from where I live. A tornado touched down briefly on the road behind the big field in back of my house. Giant hail caused extensive damage to the two biggest cities in my county. There were also numerous tornadoes and storms in other areas not too far away. I thank God that I had no damage. Thank you all for your prayers. I hope that all of you are doing well. 

     This week, we are once again in Mark, and we are starting on chapter four. In our text for the day, Jesus gives us the parable of the Sower and Seeds. 

     Jesus said that a man went out and sowed some seeds in his field. Some of the seed when it fell on the ground was immediately eaten by the birds. Some of the seed started to grow, but it didn't do much. It didn't take root, and the hot weather dried it up fast. There were some other seeds that took root and grew well, but the weeds came up and choked it out so that no crop was produced. Now, there were seeds that sprung up and produced a great crop. 

     The disciples didn't understand the parable, so Jesus explained it to them. Let's look into that. Jesus says first of all that the seed is the word. When the word of the Lord is spoken or given out it is the broadcasting of the message of the Lord to those who would hear. 

     Sometimes, when the word of the Lord and His message of love and forgiveness is preached, people don't want to hear it. They reject the word, or objections are given to make them doubt the word of the Lord. They doubt the love of Jesus, or they deny the truth about who Jesus was and what He did. 

     Then there are those who do receive the message of the Lord Jesus, and they begin to grow. They are like people who start to come to church for awhile, but after a few Sundays, you never see them again. They listened, and they started to understand. However, they were not willing to make a commitment. They wanted to do what they wanted to do. In the end, they rejected the word of the Lord. They decided to not give their heart and soul to the Lord, and they withered away spiritually. 

     The third group spoken of by Jesus in this parable is interesting. They did receive the word. I believe they represent those who do come to know the Lord as Savior. They are growing in the faith and they are making progresses. However, problems start to arise in their lives. They become disillusioned. They backslide and fall into sin. They never produce any fruit. They never accomplish anything for the Lord.  I have seen many people like this who will eventually make the decision not to follow Jesus anymore, and they walk away from the faith. Often this happens when they face a tragic situation in their lives. 

     Thanks be to God, some of the seed produces fruit. There are those who follow the Lord who do great things for the Lord. Their lives produce the fruit of the Spirit. They do unto others as they would have done unto themselves. They love God and their neighbor. They tell others about the life changing power of Jesus Christ. They make a difference for time and for eternity. 

     We want to be two of kinds of people in this parable. We want to be like the one sowing the seed. We need to spread the message of Jesus all over. And we want to be the ones producing fruit. We want to do all that we can to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Prayer Request

     Please pray for all of those in my area who had so much storm damage. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. Also, more storms are forecast this week, so please pray that they will not be bad. 

     Keep praying for peace. As I write this message, things are still unsettled in the Iran situation and in Lebanon and in the Middle East. I am very distressed about the situation in Lebanon. Please continue to pray for peace in Sudan. That situation is really catastrophic. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, pray for those in the nations of Gambia and Turkey. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in Mark. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 I John 4:16 -- "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

I Corinthians 16:14 -- "Do everything in love."