A. The lamp is the Word of Truth! (Mark 4:21-22; Ps. 119:105; John 1:4-5, 9)
B. What you get out of Jesus is directly proportionate to what you put into His cause (Mark 4:23-25; 2 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 6:6-10)
II. The growing seed (4:26-29)
A. Once the seed (the Word) is sown, it goes to work on the hearer despite our ignorance of “how” (Mark 4:26-27; John 3:9; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 3:6-7)
B. There is a personal responsibility of the hearer to grow in faith (Mark 4:28)
C. The harvest is baptism (Mark 4:29; Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-4)
III. The mustard seed (4:30-34)
A. The kingdom of God started small and seemingly insignificant (Mark 4:30-31)
B. The growth—against all odds—extraordinary (Mark 4:32)
1. Growth recorded in Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 8:12; etc.
2. The birds—evil workers (Mark 4:15; John 6:70; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Timothy 1:19-20; 3 John 9-10)
A. Law is imposed on living men—not dead men
B. “The law” in this context is not civil law but the Law of Moses
II. The illustration: marriage (7:2-3)
A. This is not an in-depth discussion of marriage, or of divorce and remarriage (Matthew 19:1-9)
B. The “husband” represents the law under which one lives
C. The “woman” represents us as adherents to the law
III. The conclusion (7:4)
A. The Law of Moses was fulfilled by Christ and nailed to His cross (Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:14-16)
B. We are no longer married to the rules and regulations of the dead Old Covenant, but to the New Covenant established by Christ!
C. Thus, “we should bear fruit to God” (John 15:8; Galatians 5:22-23)
IV. The contrast: old vs. new (7:5-6)
A. The Law of Moses made man aware of sin (Hebrews 10:1-4)
B. The new covenant of Christ gives us the opportunity to live under His saving grace—not ignoring His commands
A. Deliverance does not remove all difficulties
B. The same is true spiritually – deliverance from sin does not remove temptations, persecutions, distractions (Mark 4:16-19; 2 Timothy 3:12)
II. The response (15:24)
A. Complaining, grumbling, murmuring was an oft-repeated response of Israel (Exodus 15-17; Numbers 14, 16-17)
B. When a Christian complains, he hinders the cause of Christ (Philippians 2:14-16)
III. The solution (15:25a)
A. God’s solution involved a tree and water in Moses’ day
B. God’s solution still involves a tree and water today
1. The tree – the cross (Acts 5:30-31; 10:38-39; 13:28-30; 1 Peter 2:24)
2. The water – baptism (1 Peter 3:21)
IV. The command (15:25b-26a)
A. Diligent obedience
B. God’s expectations have not changed (2 Timothy 2:15)
V. The blessing (15:26b-27)
A. Prevent and heal disease, and provision for needs
B. God still heals (James 5:14-15), and still provides (Matthew 6:25-34)
A. His mother, Mary (Luke 1:46-55; 2:51; John 19:26-27)
B. His step-father, Joseph, a carpenter (Matthew 13:55; 1:18-25; 2:13-15)
C. His brothers and sisters (John 7:5; Matthew 13:55)
II. Jesus’ spiritual family (Mark 3:33-35)
A. “Those who sat about Him” (Luke 11:27-28)
B. “Whoever does the will of God” (Matthew 7:21-23; 21:28-32; Luke 7:29-30; James 1:21-25)
A. Jesus is the Good Shepherd seeking to unite all into His one flock (John 10:11, 16)
B. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12; 1:4, 9)
II. Hear Him
A. Jesus stood outside, knocking on the door of the church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)
B. “He who has an ear, let him hear with the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:22)
III. Love Him
A. God pleads for peace and unity among His children (Luke 15:28-32)
B. If we see Him and hear Him, we cannot help but love Him (John 14:15)
IV. Obey Him
A. The longsuffering of God is not limitless (Luke 13:6-9)
B. If you love Him, you will obey Him (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3)
A. Forgiveness available for “all sins” (3:28)
B. Even blasphemy
1. “Speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things”
2. A capital crime under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 24:16)
3. A sin that starts in the heart (Matthew 15:18-20)
C. All sins can be forgiven except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (3:29-30)
A. “Sin is personified as a tyrant whose sphere of influence is the human body” (Lard)
B. Lust is an intense desire for something, and in the context of temptation and sin, desire for something that is forbidden
C. The Christian has Jesus as King in his heart – don’t dethrone Him!
II. Law or grace? (6:15-16)
A. The ability to choose sin implies a law of some sort (cf. Romans 8:2)
B. We still must make the choice – obey God, or obey Satan
III. The role of the heart (6:17-19)
A. The heart affects the whole man
B. The greatest command (Mark 12:30; cf. Deut. 6:5)
C. The new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33)
D. Love for the brethren (1 Peter 1:22)
IV. The fruits of obedience (6:20-23)
A. Obedience to sin (of which we should be “now ashamed”) leads to death
B. Obedience to righteousness (holiness) leads to eternal life
A. The disciples – genuine followers (3:7a)
B. Willing to help any way they could (3:9, 13-15)
C. From all walks of life: fishermen, tax collectors, political radicals, and several others about whom we know nothing but their names (3:16-19)
II. The examiners (3:7b-8, 10-12) – these were the “great multitude” drawn by what they have heard
A. Different motivations (3:6, 7b-8, 10)
B. Others already had their chance, but rejected God during their lifetime (3:11-12; cf. Hebrews 9:27-28)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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