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Sermon
of 09-08-01
Use It or Lose It
Scripture - Mark 4:24-25
From Luke 8:1-21, Mark 4:1-25, Matt. 13:1-23 & COL Chapter 2
Turn with me to Luke 8. This morning we will be examining verses 1-21. Listen to verses 1-8;
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve [were] with him,
8:2
And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
8:3
And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
8:4
And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
8:5
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
8:6
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8:8
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
Because of its simplicity I sometimes feel that this parable found in Luke 8, the 'sower' has not been appreciated, as it probably should be. From what we can see, Christ is trying to direct our minds to the gospel by using the demonstration of a seed being cast on top of the ground. Friends, Christ desire nothing more than each of us to know and understand all the truth of His Word. The parable starts off By the Sea of Galilee where we find a company of people that have gathered together to see & hear Jesus preach. Look at verse 4 again.
Christ occasionally used brief illustrations that were often identified as parables. Parables were often used as a "symbol," or an "illustration" of something that might need to be pointed out. The "parables" of the Bible can be true or fictional. Teaching in parables was popular in Christ's day. He used them to illustrate some moral or spiritual truth. Jesus was so great at telling parables that today they have become identified with His teaching method.
It was probably somewhere around the autumn of A.D. 29 and as Christ spoke, farmers could be seen scattering their seeds on the ground. Did you notice that after verses 5-8 Jesus stops without explaining what the parable means? Many of The people probably left and went home confused.
Imagine for a minute. A man comes home and his wife ask; "Well, how was the young preacher?" He replies; "Well, Jesus must be into conservation. All He talked about was planting seeds in the ground." The husband continues: "In my opinion, Jesus needs to stay working as a carpenter. He knows nothing about planting seeds."
In verse 9, after Christ was through speaking the parable, the disciples ask; "what was that all about?" So in verse 10 Jesus explains to the Disciples only the meaning of the parable. Listen to verses 11-15:
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
8:12
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
8:13
They on the rock [are they], which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall
away. 8:14
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience."
Jesus did a pretty good job of explaining it wouldn't you say? What He was trying to illustrate was that He is the Sower of truth. His words are the true Words of God. Christ wanted all to understand that He came "forth" from the Father to this world, which is the "field". Christ's was not out to conceal truth from anyone there listening.
It's just that the people were unprepared to accept or even to understand the truths He preached. He wanted to get their attention so that the Holy Spirit might be able to touch their hearts when they recalled His words later. When you get to verses 16-17 you find that there is nothing secret to those that have light.
"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth [it] under a bed; but setteth [it] on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
8:17
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."
Christ came to this world to bring light to truth. To do away with the darkness that blind our minds to the truths of God's Word. Psalm 119:105 says:
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
God has always wanted us to know the whole truth about Him. But there are some that do not want to know the truth. They're today and they were there in Jesus' day. It's sad but true; many turn a deaf ear to truth.
When you get to verse 18, Jesus wants to make sure the disciples listen to what he has to say.
"Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have."
This is where the title of this morning sermon comes from. "Use it or Lose it." If you hear God's Word and don't put it to practice, what good has it done you? If you don't use it - you'll lose it!
Friends, the bible teaches that whoever sincerely desires truth will find it! But always remember that the ground must be ready before it can receive the seed. And only those who have made practical use of the truth that has been revealed to them will be given more truth.
In Desire of Ages, page 827, you find the author implies that "The gifts of Heaven are only for those who eagerly desire for them". Jesus says in verse 18 that anyone who neglects to develop to use the truth they already have will lose it not receive anymore! Use it or lose!
And Jesus is not through yet. He had more proof of what He wanted His follows to do. Listen to verses 19-21;
"Then came to him [his] mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
8:20
And it was told him [by certain] which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
8:21
And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."
How much clearer does Jesus have to be? "My Mother, My Brothers, My Sisters are those who hear the word of God & do it!"
Christ words were so plain. He said, "My children are the ones that use what they have been taught!"
As you all know, I'm from Texas with a Texas accent and use a lot of Texan grammar. Unfortunately, Texan sentence structure is not all ways the correct, proper grammar. So, ever since I started preaching, some 21 years ago, I have been trying to learn "proper" English. But one thing I have discovered, if I don't use the words I have learned, I lose them rather quickly.
Let me give you another example. When you listen to a sermon that is preached from God's Word, one you know it to be truth but walk away and not put it to practice, you will lose what you heard. You can read your Bible and not exercise what you read you have wasted your time. If you squander God's truth - you'll waste what you've learned. But if you take in God's Word and use it - it will multiply. If you take in God's Word and don't use it, it will divide into nothing.
The same applies to our new church and school buildings. If we don't use them for the Lord's purpose, then we might lose them. God gave us these buildings. Your board members have already discussed several different ways of using these facilities for God. Keep us in your prayers as we allow God to lead us.
Verse 8 last part says:
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Have you heard God's Word this morning? Then I pray that as you sow the Seeds of Truth today and share it with others. But first, you have to live and practice what you preach.
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