Mark 4: 1-20
Listen Link: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
To begin, a timely quote: I will tell you who said it after I read it.
“Our capacity to deal creatively with shattered dreams is ultimately determined by our faith in God. Genuine faith imbues us with the conviction that beyond time is a divine Spirit and beyond life is Life. However dismal and catastrophic may be the present circumstance, we know we are not alone, for God dwells with us in life's most confining and oppressive cells. And even if we die there without having received the earthly promise, he shall lead us down that mysterious road called death and at last to that indescribable city he has prepared for us. His creative power is not exhausted by this earthly life, nor is his majestic love locked within the limited walls of time and space. -- Martin Luther King Jr. "Shattered Dreams"
The reason I think that is a timely quote is, 1. we just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. day, which is why it showed up. And 2. it also speaks in a timely manner to our difficult situation in which we may find it hard to keep dreaming for a bright future as we face the grim facts of our currently difficult circumstances. But the word of God is what assures us that there is never any reason to give up hope! For our hope is in the Lord of life! The sovereign Lord who does as he pleases, and who is pleased to bless us in his grace, mercy and forgiveness. He loves us with an everlasting love. All he asks of us is that we give thanks for this, recognize his Lordship and acknowledge and confess any sins that may have contributed to the current condition of our ministry.
In connection with that, I have been impressed several times in my recent Bible readings to think about this cycle that you may recognize. You may already be familiar with the way history rolls out in the Bible. That every time God blessed the children of Israel, they gave thanks and then basically dismissed God, and sinned in rebellious ways. Then God gave them a rough time until their suffering led them to confess their sins and cry out to him for help and mercy. God always delivered the people who called for his help and restored his blessings when they repented.
It may be hard for us to believe or consider that this congregation’s ministry has been hurt by sinful behavior both in the pastors and in the people, and I am not talking about just recently. I am really talking about explaining the declines that began decades ago and the subsequent struggle to understand and correct the situation. And it’s not just us. I believe that the historic decline we are witnessing in shrinking churches all across the country and the growing numbers of people who say that they are spiritual but not religious, is the direct result of Christianity’s general failure to properly disciple her children through our changing modern culture.
Speaking of culture, you might be wondering why I am wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and tie and also have this coffee cup here with me. Our congregation is on the Vitality Pathway and we are being very intentional about re-examining everything about the way we do church. Last month we had a refreshment bar in the back of our sanctuary and it got a lot of reactions both positive and negative. I keep thinking about how to lead this congregation through our discussion of the issues we raised there.
One objection to having food in the sanctuary has to do with respect for the holiness of this place. So a couple of weeks ago I talked about how the sanctuary in the Old Testament was designed with food in mind and that the sacrificial system meant that the temple area in Jerusalem looked like a butcher shop as a result of what God commanded his people to do there. So I said that God has no problem with food in the sanctuary.
Another angle on respect for the sanctuary has to do with how we dress when we are here. I am wearing this suit today to illustrate what was not long ago the only acceptable attire for men attending worship services. It was argued that this showed respect for God, for us to dress our best. In addition, ladies wore hats and gloves, and men had better remove their hats when they come in here. So how did that change come about? Why did such attention to formal attire fade away? And even for those of you who might still hold out for being better dressed in church, I don’t see any hats and gloves ladies. My point is, congregations do change the way they do things. Social customs come and go.
I believe we dress more comfortably now for the sake of people who can’t afford fine clothes and don’t have any. That’s where the change from formal to less formal clothing began, caring about hospitality and welcome. We want everyone to feel welcome and accepted because they belong here, not based on what they wear, but based on what is in their hearts. Similarly, concerns about whether or not food in the sanctuary does or doesn’t show respect for God is based on social customs, not Biblical teachings.
It is easy, and shallow to be concerned about the cleanliness of the sanctuary and the prevention of stains in the carpet. I am not saying we shouldn’t care at all to take good care of this beautiful room. But the care of this room should not take precedence over or be more important than the care of the people who come in to this room. It would be wrong for us to assume that everybody who ever might come in here already feels the same way we think they should feel about food in the sanctuary.
So if they do bring food in and someone feels they need to correct that behavior, the person we want to love in the name of Jesus Christ will not feel very loved at all. And they might never come back. The same kind of thing would happen if someone says to a visitor, “Would you mind moving to another spot? This is where I sit.”
Jesus got in to trouble too you know for his more open understanding of Sabbath rules and proper decorum. The Pharisees’ favorite criticism of him was that he healed people on the Sabbath. He was working! He was breaking the rules! They thought he was disrespecting God. Even Jesus’ own disciples were shocked when they saw him talking to the Samaritan woman. Good Jews just didn’t do that sort of thing. Trouble is, we have Jesus as our example of the very best Jew of all!
So if my cup of coffee up here is offensive to you and it is all you have been thinking about since you saw it, has it been keeping you from hearing the gospel of the word of God? Should I therefore have known better than to put that there, to avoid offending the experienced Christians? Should Jesus have known better than to heal on the Sabbath to avoid offending the Pharisees?
Consider the message in Isaiah 58 where God heard his people’s complaint when they said, “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’” (Notice this also has to do with food. Keeping food out of their bodies to be pure and holy!)
Then God said, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” and I might add, just for doing things you don’t like to see them doing?
That can be summed up in terms of basic hospitality and human kindness. Be welcoming and helpful. Be a blessing and don’t reject people just because they behave differently than you would like. Maybe you don’t realize how welcoming and what a blessing a cup of coffee can be. Would you withhold such blessings just because you care so much about the building that it makes you care less about the people in the building?
Which leads me to one more point. If we truly want to respect the sanctuary of God, then we must look into purifying our own hearts. For we the people of God are the body of Christ, we are the temple of the living God, not this room, but this people. That’s why I said it is a shallow and easy thing to keep this room clean. It is much more meaningful and much more about what God wants when we are concerned to keep our hearts clean.
And that is what it means to be the fourth soil that bears much fruit. We need to be open and responsive to God’s word even when it takes us in new directions and new behaviors for the sake of new ministry. I would like to say again that the last several weeks of messages have been about discipleship. It is not about salvation because we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. It is not about making anyone feel guilty because those who are in Christ know that they are forgiven and guilt free. I am only talking about what Jesus said about fruitfulness and inviting all of us to take him up on that and learn how to thoroughly enjoy our life lived in Christ!
Today we are talking about the fourth soil, the happy spoil that bears much fruit, 30, 60 or even a hundredfold! It’s enjoying an abundant life! Happy Soil makes happy plants! Look at the calla lilies here! So lush and large and full of the white blossoms that bear the fruit. These plants tell you clearly when they are happy and when they are sad. They are very thirsty plants and as soon as the water starts drying up the leaves start to droop. They look so sad. Then you water them and they perk right up again!
But they still have to be in good soil to get this far. Jesus said, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times. People are like that when they hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Since the seed is the word of God it is the word that was sown. Plants of course grow up to bear the same kind of seeds they sprang from. So, the word is the crop produced in us too. This means that when the Word brings you to life, you will spend your life sharing that word with others. And it is the fruit we bear that carries the seeds. As you know, the fruit of the Spirit is listed out for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The seed of God’s Word is carried by us in the fruit of the Spirit, and as people enjoy the sweet fruits of our loving ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, they will get the seeds! They will hear and believe the Word of God when we present it through ministering to them in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And if they are good soil they will receive it and we will see new faith grow in them, and new born-again people in our midst!
Now as to the fruits of the Spirit, do you think these characteristics are more evident in happy people or grumpy people? And as for sharing the blessings. Do have in your own experience memories of how wonderful it is to make someone else happy by giving what you have so that you can help them with some need of theirs? Even if it is as simple as giving up your spot in the church because someone new is sitting there and you don’t want to make them feel as if they don’t belong there, or here with us.
Happy soil makes for happy fruitful plants! People filled with the Spirit bear the fruit of the Spirit and generally look like happy people because of the joy of the Lord in our hearts. But what have we got to be happy about? Plenty! In spite of all the bad news on TV and all the horrible things that are happening around the world and maybe even in our personal lives, God is good! God is in charge! He has promised his children that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. And even if we can’t see the good that will work out of what we are suffering, at least we can have faith and give thanks that our suffering is not wasted. It does count for something!
Our capacity to deal creatively with shattered dreams is ultimately determined by our faith in God. Faith in God is determined by what kind of soil has received the seed of God’s Word. Is it growing there. Is it bearing fruit? Is more seed being spread from the fruit born of the plants in that healthy happy soil? Genuine faith imbues us with the conviction that beyond time is a divine Spirit and beyond life is Life.
As we move on from here, let us repent of any rocks or weeds that have impeded the progress of the growth of the word of God in our hearts. Let us rejoice in his goodness and love and welcome his positive, life giving, life changing influence.
To begin, a timely quote: I will tell you who said it after I read it.
“Our capacity to deal creatively with shattered dreams is ultimately determined by our faith in God. Genuine faith imbues us with the conviction that beyond time is a divine Spirit and beyond life is Life. However dismal and catastrophic may be the present circumstance, we know we are not alone, for God dwells with us in life's most confining and oppressive cells. And even if we die there without having received the earthly promise, he shall lead us down that mysterious road called death and at last to that indescribable city he has prepared for us. His creative power is not exhausted by this earthly life, nor is his majestic love locked within the limited walls of time and space. -- Martin Luther King Jr. "Shattered Dreams"
The reason I think that is a timely quote is, 1. we just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. day, which is why it showed up. And 2. it also speaks in a timely manner to our difficult situation in which we may find it hard to keep dreaming for a bright future as we face the grim facts of our currently difficult circumstances. But the word of God is what assures us that there is never any reason to give up hope! For our hope is in the Lord of life! The sovereign Lord who does as he pleases, and who is pleased to bless us in his grace, mercy and forgiveness. He loves us with an everlasting love. All he asks of us is that we give thanks for this, recognize his Lordship and acknowledge and confess any sins that may have contributed to the current condition of our ministry.
In connection with that, I have been impressed several times in my recent Bible readings to think about this cycle that you may recognize. You may already be familiar with the way history rolls out in the Bible. That every time God blessed the children of Israel, they gave thanks and then basically dismissed God, and sinned in rebellious ways. Then God gave them a rough time until their suffering led them to confess their sins and cry out to him for help and mercy. God always delivered the people who called for his help and restored his blessings when they repented.
It may be hard for us to believe or consider that this congregation’s ministry has been hurt by sinful behavior both in the pastors and in the people, and I am not talking about just recently. I am really talking about explaining the declines that began decades ago and the subsequent struggle to understand and correct the situation. And it’s not just us. I believe that the historic decline we are witnessing in shrinking churches all across the country and the growing numbers of people who say that they are spiritual but not religious, is the direct result of Christianity’s general failure to properly disciple her children through our changing modern culture.
Speaking of culture, you might be wondering why I am wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and tie and also have this coffee cup here with me. Our congregation is on the Vitality Pathway and we are being very intentional about re-examining everything about the way we do church. Last month we had a refreshment bar in the back of our sanctuary and it got a lot of reactions both positive and negative. I keep thinking about how to lead this congregation through our discussion of the issues we raised there.
One objection to having food in the sanctuary has to do with respect for the holiness of this place. So a couple of weeks ago I talked about how the sanctuary in the Old Testament was designed with food in mind and that the sacrificial system meant that the temple area in Jerusalem looked like a butcher shop as a result of what God commanded his people to do there. So I said that God has no problem with food in the sanctuary.
Another angle on respect for the sanctuary has to do with how we dress when we are here. I am wearing this suit today to illustrate what was not long ago the only acceptable attire for men attending worship services. It was argued that this showed respect for God, for us to dress our best. In addition, ladies wore hats and gloves, and men had better remove their hats when they come in here. So how did that change come about? Why did such attention to formal attire fade away? And even for those of you who might still hold out for being better dressed in church, I don’t see any hats and gloves ladies. My point is, congregations do change the way they do things. Social customs come and go.
I believe we dress more comfortably now for the sake of people who can’t afford fine clothes and don’t have any. That’s where the change from formal to less formal clothing began, caring about hospitality and welcome. We want everyone to feel welcome and accepted because they belong here, not based on what they wear, but based on what is in their hearts. Similarly, concerns about whether or not food in the sanctuary does or doesn’t show respect for God is based on social customs, not Biblical teachings.
It is easy, and shallow to be concerned about the cleanliness of the sanctuary and the prevention of stains in the carpet. I am not saying we shouldn’t care at all to take good care of this beautiful room. But the care of this room should not take precedence over or be more important than the care of the people who come in to this room. It would be wrong for us to assume that everybody who ever might come in here already feels the same way we think they should feel about food in the sanctuary.
So if they do bring food in and someone feels they need to correct that behavior, the person we want to love in the name of Jesus Christ will not feel very loved at all. And they might never come back. The same kind of thing would happen if someone says to a visitor, “Would you mind moving to another spot? This is where I sit.”
Jesus got in to trouble too you know for his more open understanding of Sabbath rules and proper decorum. The Pharisees’ favorite criticism of him was that he healed people on the Sabbath. He was working! He was breaking the rules! They thought he was disrespecting God. Even Jesus’ own disciples were shocked when they saw him talking to the Samaritan woman. Good Jews just didn’t do that sort of thing. Trouble is, we have Jesus as our example of the very best Jew of all!
So if my cup of coffee up here is offensive to you and it is all you have been thinking about since you saw it, has it been keeping you from hearing the gospel of the word of God? Should I therefore have known better than to put that there, to avoid offending the experienced Christians? Should Jesus have known better than to heal on the Sabbath to avoid offending the Pharisees?
Consider the message in Isaiah 58 where God heard his people’s complaint when they said, “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’” (Notice this also has to do with food. Keeping food out of their bodies to be pure and holy!)
Then God said, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” and I might add, just for doing things you don’t like to see them doing?
That can be summed up in terms of basic hospitality and human kindness. Be welcoming and helpful. Be a blessing and don’t reject people just because they behave differently than you would like. Maybe you don’t realize how welcoming and what a blessing a cup of coffee can be. Would you withhold such blessings just because you care so much about the building that it makes you care less about the people in the building?
Which leads me to one more point. If we truly want to respect the sanctuary of God, then we must look into purifying our own hearts. For we the people of God are the body of Christ, we are the temple of the living God, not this room, but this people. That’s why I said it is a shallow and easy thing to keep this room clean. It is much more meaningful and much more about what God wants when we are concerned to keep our hearts clean.
And that is what it means to be the fourth soil that bears much fruit. We need to be open and responsive to God’s word even when it takes us in new directions and new behaviors for the sake of new ministry. I would like to say again that the last several weeks of messages have been about discipleship. It is not about salvation because we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. It is not about making anyone feel guilty because those who are in Christ know that they are forgiven and guilt free. I am only talking about what Jesus said about fruitfulness and inviting all of us to take him up on that and learn how to thoroughly enjoy our life lived in Christ!
Today we are talking about the fourth soil, the happy spoil that bears much fruit, 30, 60 or even a hundredfold! It’s enjoying an abundant life! Happy Soil makes happy plants! Look at the calla lilies here! So lush and large and full of the white blossoms that bear the fruit. These plants tell you clearly when they are happy and when they are sad. They are very thirsty plants and as soon as the water starts drying up the leaves start to droop. They look so sad. Then you water them and they perk right up again!
But they still have to be in good soil to get this far. Jesus said, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times. People are like that when they hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Since the seed is the word of God it is the word that was sown. Plants of course grow up to bear the same kind of seeds they sprang from. So, the word is the crop produced in us too. This means that when the Word brings you to life, you will spend your life sharing that word with others. And it is the fruit we bear that carries the seeds. As you know, the fruit of the Spirit is listed out for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The seed of God’s Word is carried by us in the fruit of the Spirit, and as people enjoy the sweet fruits of our loving ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, they will get the seeds! They will hear and believe the Word of God when we present it through ministering to them in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And if they are good soil they will receive it and we will see new faith grow in them, and new born-again people in our midst!
Now as to the fruits of the Spirit, do you think these characteristics are more evident in happy people or grumpy people? And as for sharing the blessings. Do have in your own experience memories of how wonderful it is to make someone else happy by giving what you have so that you can help them with some need of theirs? Even if it is as simple as giving up your spot in the church because someone new is sitting there and you don’t want to make them feel as if they don’t belong there, or here with us.
Happy soil makes for happy fruitful plants! People filled with the Spirit bear the fruit of the Spirit and generally look like happy people because of the joy of the Lord in our hearts. But what have we got to be happy about? Plenty! In spite of all the bad news on TV and all the horrible things that are happening around the world and maybe even in our personal lives, God is good! God is in charge! He has promised his children that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. And even if we can’t see the good that will work out of what we are suffering, at least we can have faith and give thanks that our suffering is not wasted. It does count for something!
Our capacity to deal creatively with shattered dreams is ultimately determined by our faith in God. Faith in God is determined by what kind of soil has received the seed of God’s Word. Is it growing there. Is it bearing fruit? Is more seed being spread from the fruit born of the plants in that healthy happy soil? Genuine faith imbues us with the conviction that beyond time is a divine Spirit and beyond life is Life.
As we move on from here, let us repent of any rocks or weeds that have impeded the progress of the growth of the word of God in our hearts. Let us rejoice in his goodness and love and welcome his positive, life giving, life changing influence.
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