More Mysteries (Mark 4:26-29)

TabletalkReader     September 18, 2017 in Religion 85 Subscribers Subscribe


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We are back to our study of the book of Mark!

There will not be voice-over for our devotionals while my wife, Tammy, is not able to speak normally due to her voice chord disorder. I will be posting the written manuscript for each devotion so the hearing can understand also.

Transcript:
This is the 55th devotion in our study of Mark. We
are in the 4th chapter. Jesus is still talking to His disciples.
Let’s look at verse 25…

“For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

This verse is straightforward when we put it together with the verses we’ve studied before it, with particular focus on verse 24… “And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.”

Jesus is telling us that our knowledge of Him is useless unless it reaches the depths of our hearts. When the gospel touches our hearts; our lives change!
When we hear or read the gospel and we understand it spiritually; then all the rubbish of our life becomes our ‘former self’ and we are a new creation. Why? Because everything in our life is touched when we trust in Christ as our Saviour!
This is when our knowledge of Good meets our love and trust in God.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17


Jesus continues to share a parable in husbandry, or farming, as we commonly say.
Let’s go to the next passage in Mark 4:26-29…

“And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

So a man plants seeds…
The seeds start to grow.

Then they sprout!
The man doesn’t fully understand what causes the seeds to grow…
The sprouts begin to ‘sprout’ tiny leaves and fuzzy tendrils.
The plant grows taller, sturdier, fuller, and stronger.
Finally the crop is ripe and it is time to harvest!

We have a general understanding of how husbandry works- we sow, and then we reap. That’s the 1st meaning.
Secondly, we know there’s a spiritual application to our lives.
But what about the 3rd meaning- the deeper spiritual meaning? We must remember that the 3rd meaning can only be understood by Believers. This is not for Unbelievers to know.

When we trust in Jesus for salvation from our sins; everything in our life is changed! Our head-knowledge of God has been reconciled to heart-love for God.
We are born again.
What does that mean anyway?
It is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changes us at the instant we believe.
Let’s go to scripture for this…

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

THAT is the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is as the wind, blowing where it wills.

Jesus told this parable for the benefit of the Believers who were listening to him during the 1st century, His disciples. It is also for the benefit of all Believers today and those to come.
*****

“He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” Mark 4:27

We don’t know how the Holy Spirit changes our hearts through hearing God’s Word preached or reading the Bible, or perhaps someone telling us what the Gospel means. We don’t know how He does this! We cannot explain it.
It is a mystery!

God sent Jesus to Earth to be born from a virgin. How did that happen. We don’t know! We simply don’t know.
Again, it is a mystery!

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
    vindicated by the Spirit,
        seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
    believed on in the world,
        taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16

How did Jesus become a man, and still be God?
Fully man and fully God.
We don’t know.
It is a mystery.

Not only is it a mystery in the way we usually use the word, but it is also another mystery that belongs to God.
It’s not for us to figure out.
It is for us to accept, and not to accept begrudgingly.

Next time we will roll up our sleeves and dig down further, detailing the deeper spiritual meaning.

Coram Deo

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