I forget, just, I don't know,
do something so I remember. Alright, we're going to be in
Mark chapter 4, Mark 4, and we're going to look at verses 21 through
25, 21 through 25, and what we have here I thought we were going to be
able to get a little further, but what we have here are some very
potent statements by our Lord, which follow his parable of the
sower sowing seed. And the purpose that he speaks
to them is to emphasize to us what we've just heard. We learned
last week when we heard that, we could see that the Lord's
saying to us that there's very, very few who have the word profit
them in any way. There's very few that hear it
and that receive that seed, understanding it, and that it goes down into
good ground and profits and that it grows of the Lord and that
it bears fruit. So there's very few. And so now
he follows that with some words to really drive it home, to lay
it to our hearts, to make sure that we have heard it. right? Because in every congregation
there's a mixed multitude, right? There's some that believe and
have a hope fixed in Christ, as I believe many of you hear,
but there's always some that don't yet believe, or some that
are struggling, or not sure, and it's all different amounts,
so we don't know, so we broadcast the Gospel, because that's how
the sheep are fed, and that's how the Lord calls out his sheep
that are still in darkness, right? So there's to that point that
there's only a few that hear it's because the Lord reveals
in his word there's a remnant, a remnant of people, there's
a remnant of believers in the midst of professors, of professors
who profess to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in
Isaiah 10.22, for though thy people Israel be as the sand
of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return. the consumption
decreed shall overflow with righteousness." So these words are given to us
who come to services, who come regularly or some of the time,
they're meant to come to us and give us pause and to think, do
I have an interest in Christ? Do I have a hope in the Lord
Jesus Christ? Am I only a professor of faith
without a possessor of grace? So these words are pretty powerful
words that he speaks. And so we know, brethren, don't
misunderstand what we speak of today. Salvation is a work of
grace. It's the Lord that must do a
work of grace in our hearts. When Adam, the first Adam, died
spiritually, when he sinned, he corrupted all his seed in
his body. All his seed was in him. All
of the human race was yet in Adam's loins. No one had been
given birth to yet. It was just him and Eve. And
so when he sinned, death entered him and his seed in him was corrupted. So all of us who come forth from
Adam come forth from that corrupt seed. That's why we're sinners.
That's why When we have children, we know we don't teach them how
to be wicked, how to fight for themselves, or how to do mean
things to their siblings, or to speak back to us. We don't
teach them that, but it comes very naturally. There's things
that we do that betray that. there's a heart in them that
does, that it's very natural to lash out and to do those deeds
that are not profitable to us. But the second Adam, the Lord
Jesus Christ, he's a life-giving spirit. He's not corrupt. He
has no corrupt seed and he gives life by putting his seed in a
dead sinner by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit and
that seed is not corrupt. It's incorruptible. It can't
even be corrupted because it's of Christ. And so that seed of
Christ believes and trusts the Lord. This flesh has an improved
or done anything to get better. If anything, we look at our flesh
as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. We say,
I think I'm more wicked now than I ever was before I knew the
truth. Because now we see what wicked
sinners we really are in the flesh. But our hope is in Christ,
in the spirit that he's given to us to worship him. So Christ,
his word sinks into our hearts, finds good ground, and springs
forth bearing bearing fruit unto the Lord in his time, as it pleases
him. Many of us may lay dormant for
a time, right? The plant grows up and it's green
and tender for a long time before that seed, before that fruit
sprouts forth. at the end, if you will. So just
trust the Lord and wait on Him. So our title is, Heed What You
Hear. Heed What You Hear. And we'll
just have two divisions. First, the searching light. And
then, how do you hear? Like I said, I thought we would
get further, but we're going to have to come back to the other
parables in the next time we meet. So Mark 4, verses 21 and
22. Let's look at those together.
And 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." So first thing
that we see here is that the gospel of Christ's of the mystery
of Christ, the gospel of Christ, salvation by the Lord, it was
kept a mystery. It was largely hidden from the
view of many people in Israel and certainly from the world
for thousands of years. In Colossians chapter 1, Paul
wrote in verses 25 through 27, he said, whereof I am made a
minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for
you to fulfill the word of God. Here it is, even the mystery
which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now
is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that's because
in the law, when the law came to the Israelites, there were
many types and shadows and pictures contained in the ceremonial law
that was pointing to salvation in a lamb, that is the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Passover lamb that God would send into the world
to take away the sin of his people throughout the world, both in
Jews and in the Gentiles. And the law, when it came forth,
it would reach, it would come to sinners dead in trespasses
and sins, but the law doesn't give life to anyone. The law,
when heard rightly, shuts our mouths, doesn't cause us to boast
and say to God, look what I did. It should shut our mouths and
have us say, Lord, I'm a sinner. I can't keep the perfection of
your law. I can't keep the righteousness that's contained here. What do
I do, Lord? What can I do? Save me. Have
mercy on me. Because that's all we can do
is cry out for mercy. But when it comes to a dead sinner
who hears it and thinks they can keep it, because it only
comes in the flesh, It works as administration of death in
them and administration of condemnation because that's how it comes forth
and you can see that in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 where Paul is speaking
about it. He calls it administration of
death and of condemnation. That's how it comes to dead sinners.
So those who are still under the veil of nature, it comes
forth, all that word comes forth as parables. We hear, even the
gospel, when we hear the gospel today, all it is is it's just
a parable. It comes forth as a parable to
us so that we still don't understand it and we're still confused in
the flesh. So Christ did though, when he
was here and speaking to the Jews, he literally spoke in parables
to those that were without, to those that weren't his disciples.
It says in Mark 4 verses 11 and 12, He said unto them, Unto you it
is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto
them that are without, all these things are done in parables,
that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they
may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should
be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. But
after Christ was crucified, and after He rose from the grave
and ascended up to the throne of His Father, We understand,
we know that the gospel didn't stay there in Judah or in Samaria,
it went out into all the world. Paul said in Colossians 1.23,
he's reminding them, he never met them, but he's reminding
them, he's saying, don't be moved away from the gospel which you've
heard, and he tells us, which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister. So that now in the time that
we live, in this day and age, the day that we live in, Christ
says there's nothing hid, right? There's nothing hid which shall
not be manifested, neither was anything kept secret, but that
it should come abroad. So that now we have his word,
right? And he's established churches
throughout the world, there's not many, but he's established
the churches and his pastors there that are preaching the
gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. So his word's gone forth abundantly
and many of you hear it quite regularly, right? It's gone out. But in our text, now he says,
you know, you who are coming and hearing the word regularly.
He has a word for us who are here, who are listening and hearing
this word. And he says, is a candle brought
to be put under a bushel or under a bed and not to be set on a
candlestick so that we who hear his word, we know and understand
the power of the word of God and the effect that it has on
our hearts. It says in Hebrews 4.12, for
the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart." So that we confess
and recognize, yeah, his word comes forth and it reveals the
darkness that's in my own heart. It shows the depravity that's
in my flesh. It teaches me and shows me the
impotence or the powerlessness that I have in the flesh to do
that which I would do. I can't do those things that
I know are right to do. And it shows me this, because
this is the Word of Christ, and by His power, He makes it effectual
so that it comes in like a light and exposes what we are in our
nature. He shows us and reveals to us
what we are, and then He causes that same Word. We who are His
people, He causes that Word to go in, to sink down into the
heart, to take root, and to grow up, to come up a tender plant. of Christ, we read in John 1,
4, and 5, in him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light, this is speaking
of Christ, shineth in the darkness. That darkness is us and it's
our own abysmal nature. It's our flesh that is weak and
powerless to do the things that God commands all his creatures
to do and reveals to them that they ought to do and should do
for their good and why we were created to serve him and worship
him. So that light comes forth and
the darkness comprehended it not. Our flesh, naturally speaking,
doesn't comprehend or understand what God's shown us. So that
even when we hear the law in the flesh, we think, oh, well,
he wouldn't have given a law if I couldn't keep it, so I must
be able to keep it. And then we keep it, and then
we get puffed up, imagining and thinking, wow, I'm actually doing
pretty good here, and I'm getting better and better and better.
and grown by degrees, and it's all a lie. We're just hypocrites
and liars and self-deceived because that's not why he gave the law. It's because we're sinners and
it's to show us, it's to make sin be more exceedingly sinful
to us. It's to show us that we have
sinned and offended a holy and a righteous God, and no, we can't
keep it. Should we? Yeah, we should keep
it, but we can't because we're in this flesh and we're corrupt
sinners born of Adam. And the Lord said in John 3.19,
He speaks about, He gives a testimony concerning us in the flesh and
by nature saying, and this is the condemnation, that light
is coming to the world. The Lord Jesus Christ has come
into the world, going about doing good and healing those of sicknesses
and their diseases. He's the light, He's coming to
the world. And men loved darkness rather than light because their
deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil,
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should
be reproved. But, for those that he loves,
that his remnant, his people, he does come upon them, giving
them his spirit, regenerating them, giving them life from the
dead, so that they hear his voice, they're humbled, they hear what
the law is saying, they're humbled by it, and they confess that
they're sinners, and they ask the Lord for mercy. They beg
the Lord for mercy, they cry out to him, they bow before him,
and in John 3.21 it says, But he that doeth truth cometh to
the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they were
wrought by his improved flesh? No, but that they were wrought
in God, that God did that work in him or her and brought them
to the Lord Jesus Christ, brought him to the light, even though
it was to the condemnation of their own works and their own
flesh. Because he makes us willing to say, Lord, I'm a liar, and
you're the truth. I'm a sinner, but you're righteous.
I can't do it, but you can, and you have to do it, Lord. Please
have mercy upon me. He brings us to that, rather
than saying, that can't be the way it is. I gotta be able to
do something. God wouldn't have done this if
there wasn't something I could do to save myself. That's just
proud, arrogant flesh thinking it's something when really it's
nothing. So, the Lord, he causes us to
to understand and to see this. So the Lord comes to us as a
shining light. He is the light of men sent into
the world to reveal to us that he is righteous and that we are
sinners because we didn't hear it with the law. We didn't understand
it by the law so he came and revealed it in person that we
are darkness. So his word comes in and it shines
in the dark recesses and in the corners of our hearts and exposes
what we are. It shows us, it reveals to us
that we desperately need the mercy that God has shown to sinners
in his son Jesus Christ. We need to be partakers of that
grace and that mercy. So he's making it manifest to
us. And it comes to us for the purpose, and we hear that word,
it comes to us for the purpose which God sent it. Some are hardened
in their sin and just move further into darkness, and others are
delivered from the bondage of their sin and the corruption
of our nature having power and dominion
over us. He delivers us from that dominion
of sin and puts us under the dominion of Christ and under
His Spirit. In Isaiah 10, if you turn there,
Isaiah chapter 10, verse 17, Isaiah 10, verse 17, it says,
And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his holy one
for a flame, and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his
briars in one day. That's what we produce in our
flesh. We're that earth that's cursed, that brings forth thorns
and thistles because of our sin. And he says that that holy one
is going to be as a flame and it's going to burn up and devour
the thorns and the briars in one day. and shall consume the
glory of his forest. His spirit withers our flesh
under the sound and preaching of the gospel. He makes it effectual,
so it comes in and withers the strength of this flesh and its
will to resist him. And of his fruitful field both
soul and body and they shall be as when a standard bearer
fainteth. Our natural born flesh just withers
away. And when it's saying there a
standard bearer fainted, we don't see this in our day, but back
I guess in the Civil War or in revolutionary times, they had
a standard bearer that held that flag. And as long as you saw
that flag just there on the field and waving about, you knew that
there was still hope for your side and that you had confidence
to keep doing what your commander was telling you to do. You continued.
When you saw that flag go down and get overwhelmed and taken,
you knew your captain and or general or major was taken over,
was run over, and there's trouble now. It's time to get out because
you're about to be overrun and consumed. So he's going to wither
that standard bear, that pomp and arrogance and pride that
we have by nature. He's going to wither it and bring
it down. And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be
few, that a child may write them, or count them. And it shall come
to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as
are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon
him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy
One of Israel, in truth. the remnant shall return, even
the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God." So that we see and
understand that by nature we're in the house of the evil one,
of the accuser who lies to us and makes us think that we're
free and can do what we want to do and that the things that
we're doing and delighting ourselves in the flesh in this world our
joy and a good thing for us but he reveals to us and shows us
you're in bondage and you're subject to sin and you do the
wills and the pleasures of your nature and he shows us how they're
destroying us and bringing us down and keeping us subject to
the wrath of God that's coming upon the earth and he delivers
us out of his kingdom and puts us in the kingdom of his son
Jesus Christ and makes us content and happy to be in his service
and in his kingdom and we see that he's life so his word is
light and does all that by his power We all hear the light of
the gospel, we all hear the word naturally, but he makes it effectual
in the hearts of his people so that they hear it spiritually
with a new heart, a new man, a new creature to receive that
word and to grow by that word working in us. So not only does
it make it manifest, or manifest itself in us in that way, but
there's another sense in which this is a candle as well, in
which we see this word so that it takes root in us, it comes
forth and it begins to grow up to the Lord. It's a tender, green
shoot, or a tender plant. So it goes, but He gives us a
desire to share this word, and we should have a desire to share
this word. And I get it, because we've seen things in religion
that embarrass us, and we know what they do. They paint a picture
of Christians on TV and make them just look like condescending,
judgmental people, and we don't want to be seen like that. So
a lot of times we say, I don't even want to say I'm a Christian,
because they're automatically going to think I'm that judgmental,
condemning person that's going to going to judge them and not
be merciful and kind and generous. I'm not going to judge them when
they sin. I'm not here to tell them how you shouldn't do that
or anything like that because we know we're worse sinners than
they are. But don't let that stop you from
confessing Christ and bearing the shame because a lot of times
I know why I didn't say anything because I really didn't want
to bear the shame of Christ. And it's true, I can't control
what people think automatically when they see a Christian, but
it takes a long time. A lot of people knew I was a
Christian in work, and I worked there for 18 and a half years,
and there was like nothing. I always was wondering, why am
I here, Lord? Why am I even here? And I still don't even know why,
but there was more fruit when I was leaving And when people
found out that I was leaving the company, I didn't even tell
people and my managers didn't tell people why I was leaving,
but more and more people began to talk to me and I had further
opportunities at the end there just to speak to them about my
hope in Christ and as they gave opportunity. A lot of times we
don't have a lot of opportunity, but don't be afraid to say I'm
a Christian and then leave it there and the Lord will, you
just don't know what it may lay there dormant for five years
or more. And you don't know, but you never know. But don't
be afraid, because if you don't say anything, then they just
never even know. I never knew you were a Christian. I didn't
even know. And you wonder, well, what did
you think about me then? I don't know, because, well,
you know how we can show ourselves a lot of times. And I put myself
there as well. You know what we can do in the
flesh. The Lord gave us this light to
shine, to declare His faithfulness, not to tell people how to live
their lives, but to say, my hope is in the Lord, in Christ, and
I'm a sinner, and I need His grace and mercy. You don't have
to tell them about what they need to be doing, but you can
confess what He's done for you, at a minimum, and just see what
the Lord will do with it. In Matthew 5, I was going to
have you turn here, but in Matthew 5 it says, Christ said, ye are
the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick. And it giveth
light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. And Peter wrote, And think about
this, because we all have a different degree and different gifts. But
he says, as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the
same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. So not all of us can articulate
and get into it on doctrines. And even if you can, a lot of
us don't want to get into it. But you don't have to. That's
not what he's calling you to do. But confess them, when they were
persecuted, they went everywhere declaring what God had done for
them. They just went everywhere just speaking as the Lord enabled
them and prayed about it and asked the Lord, help me, I don't
know how to say these things. I don't want to be seen like
some of the people are portrayed on TV. I don't want to be seen
like that, Lord, but I don't know what to say. But pray, and
if you have a heart, the Lord will open up. doors and he'll
show you, he'll do the work, but he's giving you a heart for
it, you know, he's giving you a heart because you're praying it, so
he's worked that in you. Alright, now how do you hear?
Here's another thing that the Lord says, he says, well basically
he says that we have a responsibility to hear the gospel. He's saying,
you have a responsibility to hear the gospel and it says in
Mark 4, 23-25, he said, if any man have ears, let him hear. Verse 24, and he said unto them,
take heed what ye hear. With what measure ye meet, it
shall be measured to you. And unto you that hear shall
more be given. So it's implying that those who
hear it in spirit and in truth, they actually do something with
it. It has an effect on them. It works in them. And it does
something. It's alive. Christ has made it
alive. For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he that hath
not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And
so I said it a number of times because I remember my pastor
saying it to us when he first came all the time, but there's
nothing more important for us, for you and for your family,
for your friends and loved ones, there's nothing more important
than to be here and to hear the gospel. and just to come and
hear the gospel. You might think it's not doing
anything. You might think, I don't know,
I'm just hearing the same thing. But come, because it's the means
that the Lord has chosen that through the foolishness of preaching,
to save them that believe. To the flesh it's going to be
ignorant, and the flesh is going to say, I don't know, do I really
need this? But he has a way of working that faith in us, causing
us to hear it, even while we're actively resisting hearing it
and trying to not hear it, he has a way of causing that word
to go into good ground. And we'll see that in the next
time, how that word comes into good ground. And it may sit there
for a long time, but the Lord, he's growing it and he's doing
something with it. He's teaching us and feeding
us and growing us, even though we don't think anything is happening
or going on there. So, all right. So, I would say, you know, just remember,
you know, I get, you know, some of you have young kids that have
bedtimes and things like that, but definitely as they're able,
encourage your children and bring your children to hear the gospel
because when they're in school and doing schoolwork, if you're
saying, hey, do your schoolwork, that's more important. They're
not hearing the gospel in their schoolwork that they're doing.
That's not where they're getting it. When they want to go out
to movies or to sit there and watch TV, they're not hearing
the gospel there in what they're doing. Or when they go out with
their friends and those other activities, they don't hear the
gospel there. When you go to work, if you have
work scheduled on the time when we meet together, talk to your
boss and get your hours changed if you can, or try and get a
different job if you can, if they won't let you. There's nothing
more important than hearing the gospel. Even if you don't think
it's doing anything, come and hear the gospel because that's
where the Lord has promised to meet his people and that's where
he promises to feed them and teach them is under the sound
of the gospel. Listen to these verses. In Ephesians
1.13, Paul said, In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the
word of truth. After you heard the word of truth,
then you trusted in him. The gospel of your salvation.
In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise. Yes, it's of grace. Absolutely,
the Lord worked all that and brought that person there to
hear it. But he brought them there to hear it, and they heard
it. And after they heard it, he used that to minister grace
and gave them an ear to hear. In Romans 10, 17, Paul said,
so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
James 1.18 says, of his own will begat he us with the word of
truth. And Paul told the Thessalonians,
despise not prophesying. Don't despise it. When you just
willfully neglect hearing the gospel preached, it's just despising
the means that God has given to us to hear the gospel of his
salvation through Christ, his son. And Peter said it this way,
in 1 Peter 1.23-25, he said, Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. Well, that's Christ, because
he's the word of God that liveth and abideth forever. For all
flesh is as grass. So don't trust in your flesh.
It's all grass. And all the glory of man is the
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth
forever. That's Christ. And this is the
word which by the gospel is preached unto you. So he's revealing Christ. He's showing us and teaching
us what Christ has done through the preaching of the gospel.
All right, so he says now in verse 24, Mark 4, 24, he says,
unto them, take heed what ye hear. With what measure ye meet,
it shall be measured to you. And unto you that hear shall
more be given. So he's saying to the degree
with which you apply that word or have a desire to see that
word applied, you know, to hear that word that you're hearing
is the degree to which you'll grow in grace. So salvation is
all of grace. It's of the Lord's grace. But
remember what Peter said at the end of 2 Peter 3, 18. He said,
but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. So he's not appealing to the
flesh and I don't want us to hear it as though this is something
that that comes in flesh because the flesh hears it and either
runs with it and says oh good I got something to do now or
the flesh hears it and says what is this I know that my flesh
can't do this thing why is he even bringing this up and talking
like this but the Lord gives his people a heart and do we
have a desire to hear his word is is there any desire because
in the new man He does give us a desire. We want to. We want
to do better than what we do, because in our flesh we fail
miserably all the time. And it's very easy to give ourselves
to the things of this world. I know it as well. But I know
that when I neglect, I have to prepare three messages a week.
And if I neglect the Word, I'm just anxious and hungry and deficient
until I get down and start studying this word and seeking him in
prayer. So I know what it is that if I neglect it, I'm not
going to have anything for you brethren. So, and I know what
it is, because I sat where you sit too, and I know how it's
very easy to just put it off, and I'll get to that in a moment.
I really want to get to that, and then you never get to it.
I know what it is to be at work and have this desire, this urge
to be like, you know, I really just want to read right now,
and I want to just see if there's something on my mind. When I
get home, I'll do it. And by the time I got home, every
time, it was gone. The desire was gone. If I even
remembered it at all, it was all wiped out. in God, but he
gives us a desire for it, though, and a willingness, and helps
us to see, wow, this flesh really is, doesn't love the things of
the Lord. This flesh loves the things of
this world and of this earth. It doesn't want to do it. We
find every reason, excuse not to seek him, but he says, unto
you that hear shall more be given. And that's what he says. So,
you know, he reveals it, but listen to the, in the light of
that, listen to these two scriptures from Proverbs. In Proverbs 13,
four, it says, the soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing,
but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. And then in
Proverbs 19.15 it says slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep and
an idle soul shall suffer hunger. And so We know that we can't
do anything in the flesh. We can't. Without Christ, there's
nothing we can do. And Christ said that. He said,
without me, ye can do nothing. And I like how Paul says it too.
And he says, but I can do all things through Christ which strengthens
me. It's got to be Christ that puts
it in us. It's got to be Christ that brings us to the word and
to the water and to feed and drink him in and to have a desire,
because we know it's not of this flesh. has no desire to do it. And so we don't want to be indifferent
about what we hear. We know how easy it just vanishes. The word that we've heard, even
a good word, we hear it and it's like gone in an instant. Even
for myself, I know what it is to go out those doors and to
just pursue all the things that I have lined up that I have to
get done. and then you forget what you've heard and what was
said. But think on these things and
watch and pray, because we know that it's not of us. There's
no desire there. Read the Word, and as you read
the Word, ask for light, because when we're forcing ourselves
to read it, It can be just like a brick or even when we want
to go and read it, it can be like a brick and you get nothing
out of it. But there are times when the Lord blesses it sweetly
in spite of us. And you think, Lord, I didn't
even deserve that, but you just made it so sweet and brought
it home to my heart. Thank you, Lord. And that's what
we hope for. And that's why we keep coming
back because we know that it's him who does that work in us.
So be diligent as well to come and to hear the gospel preached
regularly. and bring anyone that will come
with you. Talk to people, encourage them
to come, and pray that the Lord will give you that boldness and
the opportunity to stand with Him even though it brings shame
upon you and that people think less of you because they probably
will. But you never know who you're
talking to. It might be one of the elect
sheep of God. that he purposes to call out at some point. I've
heard, as I listen to other men preach especially, how there's
been cases where someone just says something about the truth
of God and Christ and His sovereignty and salvation, and they never
see that person come. But after they die, they come
and they say, yeah, I heard that first time from this person.
Really? So-and-so said that to you? They used to be a member
here, and now they're They passed away, and I've heard that in
the grace churches where they've come after. The Lord prospers
that word at some point in the future. So take heed what you
hear. He says, with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured
to you, and unto you that hear shall more be given. And that's
his promise to us. So where true grace is worked
in the heart, there will be fruit. And Lord's people won't be lost.
He's going to work this in us. He's going to bring it to pass,
because it's got to be Him. We can't work this up in the
flesh. It'll only be self-righteousness
at best. But He said, you know, in Mark
4 20, And these are they which are sown on good ground, such
as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some
thirtyfold, some sixty, and some and hundred. So, you know, but
that hypocrite and a false professor, that word will never profit them.
It'll either be stolen away immediately or fall on stony ground and rise
up and die out pretty quickly or it'll get choked out by the
cares and the things of this world and the desire, the deceitfulness
of riches and the things of this world. But now, you know, having
said that, I know that, you know, he says we're a candle, we're
the light of the world and we know the weakness of a candle.
A candle only broadcasts so much light, and the further out it
goes, the more dim it gets, and it doesn't even do much there. burn down quickly and they're
blown out really easily. And that's us. That's a good
picture of us because we know, you know, we hear things and
we're like, yep, I'm going to do that now. This week I'm going
to be doing that and that and that. It's all good for me and
profitable for me. And we blow out as soon as the
wind comes through that door on us as we're leaving. And I
get that. But turn over to Philippians
and we'll close with this passage in Philippians chapter 3. I think what Paul He captures it
really well, and he sums up the heart of a believer really well
here in Philippians 3, and go to verse 10. Because I really, I don't want
us to hear this in the flesh. It's not at all why I'm saying
this, but our Lord says it, and so I want to talk, speak to it. But in Philippians 3.10, Paul
says that I may know him. and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his
death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead. Meaning, however, Lord, it pleases
you that I should leave this earth and lay this body of flesh
down, it's fine, Lord, make me accepting of that. However you
are pleased to bring me to that resurrection, Lord, your will
be done. Verse 12. It's not as though
I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, right? Because when we look behind,
all we see is guilt and shame, and we say, wow, yeah, I really,
I really fail in this all the time, don't I, Lord? I can't
do anything right. We look back on what we've done
and there is no comfort or hope or help in ourselves. But he
means it that way. It should be that way. That's
a good thing. So we don't look at those things.
We forget those things which are behind and reaching forth
unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore,
as many as be perfect. Is there any of you out there
that are perfect and have achieved this thing perfectly? Well, he
says, be thus minded. Seek Christ. Keep pushing on.
Great. If you've got it down, great. You keep on pressing and
doing that thing. But to you who are otherwise
minded, He says, God shall reveal even this unto you. He's with
us. He's teaching us, and He'll grow us. He'll make that word
effectual in our hearts. You can trust Him for that. Nevertheless,
whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule.
Let us mind the same thing. So, the Lord, you know, the brethren
hear those words and they're the ones that are usually troubled
by it and say, oh man, I'm such a failure. We don't see anything
good or profitable in us, but he does give us a desire and
we want to know him. We want to do those things that
will profit us and be you know, and strengthen us in the faith
and that we might be of a benefit to our brethren. So he works
that in us. We're never going to see anything good in us. We're
not going to see things. In the moment we see something,
he usually knocks it right down so that we don't remember it
for very long. You know, and those people that
should be hearing this and heeding this word and trembling, they're
not. But we say it because we don't
know how the Lord's going to take that word and lay to the
heart and cause some hypocrite, some Pharisee to say, wait a
minute, maybe I don't know the Lord. But to you who are His,
keep pressing toward the mark. Trust the Lord. It's His work.
He does it. He's the one who's going to grow us and strengthen
us. And we'll see in the next parable that He gives how it's
just a tender plant and it seems like nothing. We don't even understand
how the Lord does it, but He grows it. comes forth, and it
might be years and years and years, but he'll bring forth
fruit in his time, and then he'll put the sickle in and harvest
you and bring you home to himself. So I pray the Lord will bless
his word and help us to hear it in the new man. That's my
desire, that we hear hear it in Christ, because that's why
he came. He did all the work of salvation. There's nothing
that we're doing to save ourselves. He did it. He provided it by
shedding his righteous blood for us. So I pray the Lord will
bless it to our hearts. Let's pray. Our gracious Lord,
we thank you, Father, for your word. We thank you, Lord, that
This work of salvation, it's all of you. It's not of us, Lord. And we can't save ourselves. We can't even motivate ourselves
to do that which is profitable or to bring forth fruit, because
this flesh is dead. Lord, in that new man that you've
given, that new creature you've created, we pray that you would
give us a hunger and a thirst for your righteousness. Lord,
that we would indeed have a desire and that you would bring us Lord,
that you would bring us to the prize of Christ. And we would
have those times and seasons where you are just made so precious
to us, Lord, by your Spirit coming upon us, delivering us from this
death and this world and the fashion of this world and the
ways of this flesh. Lord, please just give us rest
in Christ. and time with him to delight
in our Savior. And Lord, help us to stand with
you, with our Savior, even though we be shamed and mocked in this
world. Lord, help us, because we draw back from it. But Lord,
you know, and you know what to do. Lord, help us. We pray this
in Jesus' name, our Lord and Savior. Amen.