December 1, 2013

Giving Out and Taking In

Preacher:
Series:
Passage: Mark 4:21-25
Service Type:
  • Are you a good listener?
  • Do you pay attention to what God is saying through the Word?
  • How are you as a talker?
  • What words come out of your mouth?
  • Do you speak about Jesus Christ or the Bible?
  • As Christians we should be good talkers and good listeners
  • This passage looks at giving out and taking in

Give out (v21)

  • You wouldn't put a lamp under a bed or under a basket
  • A light is there to be show, to reveal the darkness, to be used
  • A light is never to be hidden
  • What was Jesus meaning?
  • We are growing up in an age where many don't know the Bible
  • We as Christians need to let our light shine
    • Why don't we: maybe we are afraid
    • There is a time to speak and a time to keep silent
    • There are times when we should speak - God gives us opportunities
    • We are not to be too worried about what people think of us
    • Some people don't speak because they don't think about the urgency of the message
    • At times it might be a sense of failure
    • The [local] church needs to speak out
  • Why ought we to shine our light?
    • Who has the truth?
    • Only Christianity has the truth - not other religions
    • We have "good news" - Jesus paid the price to forgive all their sins, that He rose from the dead and that people need not fear death
    • This news is life transforming - the Holy Spirit takes God's Word and changes peoples lives
  • We should never conceal the truth
  • Always be ready to given an account
  • Could you tell the gospel using Scripture?
  • We are to sow in hope

Take in (v23)

  • 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear'
  • Take care 'what' you hear
  • There are many voices clamouring for attention
    • What is behind the intellectuals of the day: mostly an atheistic agenda
    • Religion - blinding following without thinking
    • 'All roads lead to Rome' - all religions point in the right direction [they do not]
  • We need to be saturated with the Word of God
    • We must be in Church
    • We must read the Bible
    • We must meditate on the Bible, read with questions
  • We must be selective with what we watch and what we read
    • "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things" - Phil 4:8
  • Diligent application of the word will make you strong
  • Gifts and grace multiply as they are exercise - Matthew Henry
  • The converse is true
  • He comes little to church, reads the Bible little becomes rusty
  • Warning - v25
    • Those who don't exercise their spiritual disciplines lose out
  • Warning - v24
    • Those who listen to hard hitting, negative, judgemental preachers might lose out
    • The same measure will be used to you
    • If we only listen to tolerant, loving, non-confrontational preaching
      • We might excuse sin, to lower Christian standards, to except all
    • We need to be balanced
      • We need to hear the whole counsel of God
      • 'Behold the goodness and severity of God'
      • We must not mis-apply the word of God
  • Luke 8:18 - How you hear
  • James 1:21 - "receive with meekness the ingrafted word that is able to save our souls"
  • 1 Pet 2:2 - receive the word eagerly
  • Do we put it into practice?

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