Christ Rules! (Part 7) The Mystery of His Kingdom

Mark 4:1-23

A Sermon By Jim Hammond

OUTLINE

Focus: The Mystery of Christ’s Kingdom is that it is a hidden Kingdom, hidden from all but those who respond to the King. The quality of your response determines the quality of your personal growth, and the growth of His Kingdom through you.

I. Harry Had a Hard Heart (4:4, 13-15)

II. Sherry Had a Shallow Heart (4:5-6, 16-17)

III. Preston Had a Pre-Occupied Heart (4:7, 18-19)

IV. Owen Had An Open Heart (4:8, 20)

In the book Raising A Modern-Day Knight, Robert Lewis tells the story about a friend of his, Bill Smith.

When Bill Smith boarded a small, American Airlines prop-jet from Dallas to Little Rock, he was weary. It was late in the afternoon, and by his own admission he felt grubby. The 55-year-old investment counselor plopped into a window seat, hoping no one would sit next to him.

But God had other plans. Just when it looked as if Bill’s wish might come true, the six-foot, three inch stranger settled into the aisle seat. The flight attendants secured the door, and the plane taxied down the runway. As much as Bill wanted to sit quietly and reflect during his trip, he felt compelled to say something to his neighbor. After all, Bill told me later he was too close to ignore.

Bill broke the silence. “Where you going?” he asked. “To Pine Bluff.”, the man replied. That one question let loose a flood of information. The stranger, whose name was Jim, went on to tell Bill that he did consulting work for the government and was traveling to visit a military arsenal. He claimed he was responsible for a third of his company's revenues. He told Bill he hated to travel but couldn't get off the road. He talked about college and the investment he'd made to secure an education. And he mentioned the fact that he'd been married for a year and a half and had inherited a 13-year-old stepson in the process.

Between snippets of conversation. Bill glanced at Jim. The man bearing his soul was in his early 30s; he had dark features and dark, piercing eyes. But to Bill Smith, Jim's most noticeable characteristic was his demeanor. He was energetic, but there was a tone of sadness in his voice.

Bill quickly realized he was talking with a younger version of his former self. Like his neighbor, Bill Smith knew a thing or two about success -- and disappointment.

In his younger days, Bill had three key goals. First, he had wanted to make a lot of money. As the director of the Capital Management Division of Stephens, Inc., Bill had accomplished this first goal in abundance. He had traded stocks and commodities for clients in Europe, Asia, and the United States, and earned large commissions. Second, Bill had wanted to meet powerful, influential people. He had achieved this as well, numbering then -- Gov. Bill Clinton among his many clients. His last goal was to travel all over the world. He had done so many times.

But with all of his worldly success, Bill couldn't fill the hole in his heart. It cried out for satisfaction. So the man with everything began to seek fulfillment in other ways: he drank, he partied, he dabbled in New Age and eastern religions. Nevertheless, the emptiness remained.

At the age of 47, in a hotel room in Salt Lake City, Bill Smith discovered something that changed his life forever. While waiting for his wife, Cydney, to dress for dinner, Bill reached nonchalantly into a drawer and opened a Bible. He turned to the gospel of John and read words that stirred his heart: “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born out of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

Something about these verses ignited a fire in Bill Smith. He decided that once he returned to Little Rock he would purchase a Bible and read some more . He did. Bill started reading the Scriptures for 20 minutes a day, taking notes along the way. He recorded his findings in a journal.

Five months into his study, amazing thing occurred. "I got the sense," he says, "that Jesus Christ was meeting with me personally. His presence demanded my respect. I couldn't shake it. In the process, I came to a sobering conclusion. I realized that Jesus Christ was alive. And if he's alive, then he must be God."

Bill Smith discovered his transcendent cause [purpose for living].

Little changes soon became evident in the way Bill related to other people. He used to be so driven that he hated interruptions at work; he instructed his assistants not to put through any phone calls or allow anyone into his presence unless they could "help him make money." But the new Bill found himself taking time for others. Interruptions became divine appointments. He asked intruders how they were doing and listened intently for an answer.

As months passed and Jesus Christ became an increasingly intimate friend, Bill Smith realize that the hole in his heart was gone; it had been filled by the God of the universe.

In time Jim finished talking about himself and asked," what you do?"

"Well," replied Bill, "I do a number of things, but the most exciting thing I do is work for a king."

"A King?" Jim exclaimed. His face was flushed with curiosity.

"Yes, A King," said Bill.

"From the Middle East?"

"As a matter-of-fact, he is. He's very wealthy and very powerful."

"Which one is it?"

"Oh," replied Bill, "this king is quite mysterious."

Jim guest -- incorrectly – a few Middle Eastern potentates.

"What do you do for this king?" He asked.

Bill responded: "I guess you could say I'm a freelance agent; I go wherever he sends me. This king also has a book that's a worldwide best seller."

“Did he write the book himself?" Jim asked. "Or did someone else write it for him?"

Bill explained that the book had been written by a number of authors.” His new acquaintance got a gleam in his eye and said, "The king is Jesus, isn't it?"

"Yes," replied Bill.

"Tell me," he asked, "how did you get the job?"

Bill shared his story.

After he finished, the conversation ceased. A while later, the two men talked about lighter things. Near the end of the flight, remembering what the stranger had shared about himself, Bill asked two pointed questions.

First he said, "Jim, did your dad ever tell you that he loved you?" Jim replied, no, he hadn't. "Did your dad ever tell you that he was proud of you?" Again Jim gave the same response.

Sensing the need to affirm this man, Bill said, "Jim, I know how committed you are to your wife and stepson; I know how hard you worked in school and how hard you labor at your job." Then Bill Smith did something remarkable. He reached out his hand and said, "Jim, I'm proud of you!"

The words struck a chord in this man's aching heart. He looked out the window -- and brushed a tear from his eye.

The plane landed. The passengers departed. Jim lingered behind. Finally rising from his seat, he reached into his briefcase and handed Bill his card. Then he said, "Bill, I'd like to know more about this king of yours. I may want to go to work for him, too ."[i]

Christ Rules! Isn’t it great working for a King? There is a mystery to his Kingdom. Not many know about it. His Kingdom didn’t come into a world power the way other Kingdoms do. In fact, He didn’t establish his Kingdom in the way anyone expected. He tells us today about this mysterious Kingdom. In fact the words he uses calls the establishment of his Kingdom a Mystery, or a secret. It was a hidden establishment for those who had eyes to see, and ears to hear.

(Mark 4:11 NIV) "He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables"

(Mark 4:1-12 NIV) "Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. {2} He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: {3} "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. {4} As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. {5} Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. {6} But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. {7} Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. {8} Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." {9} Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." {10} When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. {11} He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables {12} so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'""

Before we listen to Jesus’ explanation of his own parable which he gives and we can read a few verses later, let me tell you this same parable a different way. If you have been here for a long time you may recall me telling this story years ago.

A Parable of 4 Hearts

The camp they went to was the same. The message they heard at the camp was the same. The year that followed camp presented each of the four teenagers with many of the same opportunities. But the results were different.

Harry Harrison went to camp because he always went to camp. He had been going to camp for years. His parents expected him to go. He expected to go. Had you heard his language and rough manner at school, you might have been surprised that he wanted to go to a church camp. Harry went because he liked the activities at camp. He also liked to meet the girls at camp. Harry was confident, cocky, and a loud mouth. Though Harry knew all the Sunday School answers in the small group discussions, Harry was also the one who organized the midnight sabotage of the girl’s bathroom water heater. Creative Harry became a leader in the attacks and counter attacks that followed. During campfire Harry sat in the back, preferably with a girl. But no girl wanted to sit with him on Tuesday because they found out why there were no hot showers that morning. Harry had to settle for second choice, sitting and goofing off with someone he could influence. Harry was not Interested in the songs, or the speaker. He thought the speaker was boring. Harry came home from camp the same Harry. A year later Harry was the same Harry but he wasn't laughing as often, or pulling pranks as easily. Harry was in the Juvenile Hall. His camp mischief didn't go over well in the real world.

Sherry Schaeffer went to the same camp that Harry attended. She was one of the cute blondes that Harry had flirted with. Sherry had been coming to youth meetings for a month before she went to camp. She was excited about all the new things she was learning. She loved everything about camp. She was one of the many kids who went forward after the campfire speaker's last message and invitation. She spoke to everyone about how awful her life had been, and how wonderful everyone was at camp. She threw her cigarettes into the flames and said she was going to stop smoking, drinking, and going to the parties. She said she realized now what was missing in her life and she wanted to fill her life with the right things. When Sherry got home her boyfriend broke up with her because he didn’t like how she had changed. The youth group tried to encourage Sherry. They told her she had done the right thing and she should be commended for her firm stand. Sherry didn't feel any better. She wondered why God had let her down. Didn't God care about her feelings? Later, a popular football player at school asked her out. He was not a Christian. Sherry stopped coming to youth group. She was seen going to parties with her new boyfriend.

Preston Patterson almost wasn't going to go to church camp because he didn't want to spend the money. He was saving for baseball camp. Preston loved baseball and was a promising pitcher. After coming to church camp, he seemed to enjoy it. Preston also went forward at the invitation along with Sherry to give his life to the Lord. When he first came home from camp he was at every youth meeting. He missed a couple meetings during his base ball camp. After coming back he shared how he wanted to be a witness as a Christian athlete. Preston began to miss more meetings as he began to train with a friend he met at baseball camp. When baseball season began, Preston stopped coming to church altogether.

Owen Olson was urged to go to camp with his cousin. His cousin happened to be Harry Harrison. Owen and Harry were a lot alike. They both liked to get into trouble. The one main difference was that Owen had never attended church before and Harry knew the ropes. Owen was doing the things Harry was doing at the first part of camp. Owen was in on the first midnight sabotage and thought it was exciting and funny. At the Wednesday Night campfire while Harry was with a girl in the back, Owen sat with somebody who wanted to listen and actually acted like he enjoyed the speaker. Owen began listened for the first time. The things the speaker said really had Owen thinking about his own life. Owen wanted the kind of joy he was watching in many of the people around him. Harry stared at Owen with disbelief when Owen responded to the invitation that night. The rest of the week Owen was mostly seen with Mark, his camp counselor and new friend. Owen was a faucet of questions. Owen began to read the Bible in the places that his counselor suggested. Owen and Mark were seen on several occasions praying together. When Owen got home he found a church that one of the counselors recommended. The church that Owen began attending had about ten teenagers in their youth group. Two weeks after Owen's first visit the youth meeting had fourteen young people because Owen brought his friends. After three months the youth group had doubled in size. The flame that was lit in Owen's heart had been igniting others around him. Owen and Owen's friends were changed by the power of the Gospel.

Jesus wasn't surprised by the four different responses to the same camp. He described the reason for the difference in his own parable found in Matthew 13 and Mark 4. The fruit of the four teenagers' lives were as different as their four different hearts. Jesus knew Harry's heart was hard. Sherry's heart was shallow. Preston's heart was pre-occupied. Only Owen's heart was open.

I. Harry Had a Hard Heart (4:4, 13-15)

(Mark 4:13-15 NIV) "Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? {14} The farmer sows the word. {15} Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them."

Notice that Satan snatches the seed, the word that was sown in them, because some people are like hard paths. They don’t receive the word. They don’t respond to it.

How do people become like hardened paths where seeds don’t penetrate? Why are paths hard?

Paths are hard because they are trampled. Hearts can get hard that way also.

· Trampled by religious rhetoric—inoculated with just enough truth to keep him from catching the real disease

· Trampled by philosophies, evolution, humanism, secularism (music, TV) the “enlightened” looking down their noses at us as if we are the uninformed.

· Trampled by sin Romans 1 talks of the fools who “suppress the truth by their wickedness.” One’s mind will justify one’s lifestyle. We do not like to live out a contradiction, so often we suppress the truth. A good heart can soon be calloused, then hardened if sin persists. If sin persists, sin hardens, A heard heart then sins even more.

In Harry’s case, the plant never got off the ground.

Penetrating the case-hardened heart

How does one penetrate case-hardened defenses? Are they destined for no growth? Standard techniques for plowing often don’t work with case-hardened hearts. If a university professor has blocked the word of God out of his life he might be challenged along lines with which he is familiar. Ask him if he values academic freedom. Ask he if he honestly investigated all viewpoints before he came to conclusions. The scholar is now on the horns of a dilemma. If he will not consider reading the Bible he must admit his own bias. It is rare that these hardened hearts are penetrated. But it happens. Keep putting the seed out there anyway. The farmer did. He sewed seeds, broadcasting them over all those soil conditions.

II. Sherry Had a Shallow Heart (4:5-6, 16-17)

(Mark 4:16-17 NIV) "Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. {17} But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away."

In Sherry’s case the plant grew quickly at first, but didn’t last. Sherry’s reception was shallow, rocks beneath the surface. Little root system. The good news sounded good until things became difficult.

There are many types of Shallow Hearts:

On the one hand, Emotionally exhilarating spiritual experiences that are intellectually rootless are shallow and will fail. On the other hand, Intellectually stimulated belief that does not touch the will and emotions to bring about repentance is also the fruitless, rootless, belief of a shallow heart. It fails early.

Easy faith, cheap grace, and shallow piety may be the undoing of spiritual revival in our generation.

· Outwardly Christian, but missing the unseen root system.

à Went to all the Bible studies, meetings, outward plant grows, but no root system beneath the surface where things are not seen outwardly.

à No root time.

à Rocks beneath the surface in the way., hard spots need plowing.

à How deep are your roots. Are you a “Only-When-I-want-to-be” kind of Christian.

à While we tend to be focused on the fruit, that is the products of faith, God is concerned with the root, the process of our faith.

· Satan doesn’t mind Shallow Religion. It often does his work.

III. Prestin Had a Pre-Occupied Heart (4:7, 18-19)

Pre-Occupied by Weeds [thorns]—the weeds were there first. All hearts before receiving the good seed are pre-occupied with weed seeds. The weeds are there first. The question remains, will these weed seeds remain first and foremost, once the good seeds are planted?

Notice what Jesus explains.

(Mark 4:18-19 NIV) "Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; {19} but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

Pre-Occupied by worries of this life

Pre-Occupied with deceitfulness of wealth, or popularity, or boys, or girls, or _________________ you fill in the blank

What does this Pre-occupation do? It strangles, it chokes out the real life. Christ demands to be the center of your life.

How is Wealth Deceitful? How does wealth, or the desire for wealth lie to us?

Wealth’s lies:

· More money will give you more security

· More money will give you less worry

· More money will give you more satisfaction

· If you give away your money you won’t have enough money

· (If you give love, will you run out of love to give?)

Worries of this Word:

Get rid of the weed seeds that pre-occupy your heart: money, popularity, reputation, success, happiness, security,

Why should weeds be pulled? Weeds always grow faster than good plants. They will always take over if we don’t keep them in check.

IV. Owen Had An Open Heart (4:8, 20)

(Mark 4:20 NIV) "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.""

What can you do if you are not like Open Owen?

Pay close attention to the quality of your Response to The King’s Word.

Pay closer attention to the root than the fruit. The health of the root determines the health of the fruit. Allow your roots to go deeper. Don’t put so much emphasis on the product, put more emphasis on the quality of the process. God will bring the fruit if the quality of the process is carefully guarded. What develops deep healthy roots? Time in the Word. But not just time in the word. That time, or exposure to the word must be met with an authentic response to the Word. The quality of that response determines your Growth, and the growth of the Kingdom of God through you.

READ AGAIN THE FOCUS: The Mystery of Christ’s Kingdom is that it is a hidden Kingdom, hidden from all but those who respond to the King. The quality of your response determines the quality of your personal growth, and the growth of His Kingdom through you.

(Mark 4:21-23 NIV) "He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? {22} For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. {23} If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.""

There is a mystery to the Kingdom. It is hidden, but it is not meant to stay that way. We are to disclose it. We are to let it shine. We are to respond visibly, demonstrably. Our response determines whether what is hidden does shine or not in our lives and through us.

Does the reality of the Christian Life elude you? Is it still hidden? Maybe the quality of your response is to blame.

To Let the roots Grow deeper, dig deep into God’s Word and let the word dig deeply into your heart.

Plow Up the Hard trampled surfaces

Trampled by men?—Plow with Forgiveness

Trampled by Philosophies?—Plow with Truth

Trampled by Sin?—Plow with Repentance,

(Psalms 51:17 NIV) "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Get Rid of the Rocks beneath the surface.

Get Rid of the Weeds that choke the word in your life.

Respond to the Word.

Don’t be hearers only. Not only does your Health and Happiness Depend on your response, So does the Kingdom of God. God has a purpose he wants lived out through you. He wants to bear fruit through you 30, 60, 100 fold! The growth of God’s kingdom around you and through you depends on the quality of your response to him.

[i] Raising a Modern-Day Knight, by Richard Lewis p. 88f.