What a day. Yesterday. I had just had a really good day. I even though I was soaking wet It just didn't matter. I'm not kidding. I just didn't even realize it until I had gotten home and I had taken off a hooded sweatshirt that I was wearing out in Biflow and I Laded on the bed and then later that day got a little chilly and decided I'll just put my hoodie back on and it was this sopping wet mess of water and I realized wow See I'm sort of what they call a Wimp and so I get cold really easy and somehow the Lord just kept me warm It was it was really amazing His grace and the opportunities that we had out there the opportunities at Palm Valley. God is So gracious to us to give us these These opportunities and and it is what we are here to do. This is what is so exciting about this I wanted to remind you of Where we're going what we're doing as a church why we do things Like our Saturday of service as well as equipping each other to do things acts of mercy Sharing the gospel in our neighborhoods and things like that We we believe that the scriptures call those of us who have put our faith in Christ To live a life shaped by the cross of Christ and the way that we talk about it here is a life of gospel transformation that he is By the power of his Holy Spirit through his word He is making us more like his son He is Conforming us to the image of his son that's gospel transformation And we like to talk about gospel proclamation. That's where we Having been transformed and and on a process of being transformed that equips us To proclaim to people why our lives are changing why we worship Christ as king that we would use our words to share the gospel That's gospel proclamation and we we like to talk about gospel demonstration that Christ also calls us to go out To be salt and light to minister to people who are in need to demonstrate the compassion and the mercy and the love of God in Christ Which is a lot of what we were doing yesterday Showing some some people who do not yet know Some of whom do know the love of God in Christ and just we're able to feel his love by our presence there Amazing and then and we see in scripture that as Christ transforms us and equips us to proclaim the gospel and demonstrate the gospel that God multiplies the number of people who are Walking with his son who are experiencing salvation in this life and knowing that they will experience the full salvation that is to come So that is an amazing thing that we've seen in scripture and we are doing as a church following Christ keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus The author and finisher of our faith and here's what's so amazing about this I love this this passage is so rich and it's gonna show us we're gonna see something really amazing here that in the cross shaped life as we follow Christ Into the world In the cross shaped life gospel proclamation plays a key role in gospel transformation As we are sharing with others what we know of Christ Christ is working on us That our reasoning for proclaiming the gospel for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with our community and with the world is not only For the sake of the lost who need to hear it so they can have what we have in Christ, but also because while we're doing it He's at work in us too That's amazing So let's look at this. I want to talk about three things today We're talking about making Jesus known and then I want to talk about a couple kingdom Principles that we see in the parables that Jesus tells in this passage things that are very helpful very encouraging For those of us seeking to share the gospel with people Um, and then we will talk about the kingdom and the cross how do those principles help us understand the cross a little better So those are the three things if you're making an outline Making Jesus known some kingdom principles and the kingdom and the cross If you're new with us, we like to keep our bibles open and just kind of walk right through the text So hopefully your Bible is still open if it's not you can open it up really quick no one's looking Keep your bibles open. Let's walk right through this passage First we're going to talk about making Jesus known and here's what we want to want to grab on to real tightly here It is in making Jesus known to others That he makes himself even more known to us Okay, it is in our making known making Jesus known to others that he is making himself even more known to us Okay, let's see where we draw that from looking at verse 21 starting at verse 21 First we would want to just see that Jesus wants us to tell people about him. Okay, look at this 21 It is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed and not on a stand For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest nor is anything secret except to come to light If anyone has ears to hear let him hear
Now what he's doing here he's still talking to his disciples remember last week He was he had gone away with his disciples from the crowd He was explaining something to them in private and we would imagine he's still speaking to his disciples in private at this point When he shares this with them and really what he's doing is he's telling them that he wants them to tell the world about him He does not want them to take what they've received and keep it to themselves in the same way that you don't light a lamp in your house and then cover it up No, you let it shine so that everybody can see things It's the point of bringing a light in and so what he's talking about is the point of God the Father bringing in Christ the light of the world Is so that people would hear He's talking about the fact that last week if you remember The the passage talked about Christ explaining that they had been given we have been given the secret of the kingdom of God And that secret is that Christ is the Lord that he is the Savior that we all desperately need his saving work on the cross to be Reconciled to God So he's giving them that secret and now he's saying I want you to let that secret out The secret of the kingdom of God should be the worst kept secret in the history of the world That's what he's saying that he wants everyone to hear this That his followers would be the ones for claiming this to the world He talks about hidden things hidden things in verse 22 there The nothing is hidden except to be made manifest what he's talking about here is the reality that God is well aware that The truth about him his mercy his love his kindness his holiness is hidden from the world But he doesn't want that to be that way he wants the world to know He wants the world to know through Christ that he is good that he is kind that he is Merciful and now is the time. This is the time that the world is to be made known of the secret God knows that it's hidden and now he's bringing it out in Christ It's like when you hide a a gift from somebody You allow it to be hidden because you know at the right time you want to bring it out Brothers it's Close to Valentine's Day Friendly reminder from your friendly neighborhood pastor here now when you when you buy something for your wife Even if it's like a bag of candy, which is what all I usually do um, I mean hey proves I love her right But here's the thing when you when you buy it if you buy anything whether it's a thousand dollars or or you know The dollar whatever it is you buy you're buying something you have this gift that you want her to have and you Normally you don't come home and put it on the kitchen counter with a note that says stay away until the 14th You know, I'm saying like you put it somewhere You know that it's hidden and then at the right time you bring it out and she says You do care you do love me. I feel this you know, I know you you have this connection in that moment This is what Jesus is saying. He's saying this is that time This is where God is bringing out the greatest gift That he has ever given His own son and that's the secret of the world That Christ is king that he's the greatest gift and God is bringing him out For us to see and so the disciples are to bring him bring the news of him all over the world That's what he's saying if you have ears to hear he's saying hear this. This is what I want to happen Jesus is saying this is what I want to happen that that the light of the world would be proclaimed over all the world It's kind of the precursor to the great commission That we would tell everybody the secret he wants you and me who know him to tell People about him why well number one obviously we know that his mission is to seek and save the loss So we know that he wants us to share the gospel so that people who don't know the truth about Christ can hear it And have an opportunity to respond But here's what's so amazing about this passage that that's not the only reason He also wants us to be telling people about him because of the effect it also has on us Look at 24 24 We're going to see here that you we learn more about him as we teach people about him Look at this 24 and he said to them pay attention to what you hear With the measure you use it it'll be measured to you and still more will be added to you This is in the Greek it's actually pretty interesting sentence because it's the same word in in different forms three times in a row So Jesus literally says with the measure you measure it will be measured to you And he uses this word in a couple different ways When he first says it the measure he's talking about it's like a noun Okay, and then it will be measured to you and the measure with which you measure it'll be measured to you Those are verbs and so this word can be kind of both a noun or a verb sort of like Google You know like you can go on Google or you can Google something And it's the same thing and so in other words what he's saying here is With the measure with the amount That you have that you know With with the measure you measure out with the amount you give out Okay, you're understanding of Christ with the amount of that that you give out that you share with others It'll be measured to you and still more will be added in other words. It comes back It's like it's like when it comes back as you give out what you know about Jesus when it comes back It's like there's more of it It's like he is as we are sharing the gospel teaching people about him It's like it comes back and we understand it better We understand him even more and see the thing is like we know this to be true Because we know anybody who has taught anything knows that you really learn not by learning by but what Teaching Isn't that amazing that as we Seek to teach people to measure out what what we already know what's been measured to us To others we learn Not just them we learn too He wants us to share the gospel not only for the sake of the lost people also for the found And I think and I'm not kidding. I think this is why I'm a pastor Okay is God looks at his child and he says I love this child He is righteous in Christ. I have declared him to be righteous. I've forgiven him all his sins I love him. I couldn't love him anymore if I tried which is the way he feels about all of his children But then he looks at me and he says but he this guy has a real hard time getting stuff through his head And so I think I'm gonna make him a teacher Because that way every week he's got to get up and he's got to teach and as he teaches oh now he gets it And it's the same for you You know what when we're in here. It's not me teaching you. It's God teaching us And sometimes I bet you I learn even more than anybody else Okay, and I need it more than anybody else I'm the most gospel desperate chief of sinners in the room and I'm not kidding when I say that I know that about me Okay, so I'm not here because I'm a good person here because God chooses to use the foolish things Okay, but the reality of that is true that as you and I seek to take what we know about Christ and measure it out to people who don't know those things It comes back thicker sweeter Not amazing. That's amazing to me The Holy Spirit uses our efforts. He not only empowers our efforts to tell people this good news But then he also multiplies it as it comes back to us deepening our understanding of Christ Those of you who have shared the gospel, you know that some of the sweetest moments in your life with Christ are right after you delivered that good news You know I'm talking about so Then Jesus says something that can sting a little bit He's definitely hitting on our human responsibility. God is sovereign and in control But we are responsible to obey our king to listen to his words to pay attention to what we hear and to use it Not that we would lose our salvation, but that the gospel can when we don't apply it It can lose some of its effect on our life and we're not benefiting from this good news look at verse 25 In in one way or another he kind of says You use it or lose it look at this 25 For to the one who has more will be given and from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away And that's just this call from Christ to be saying you know apply what I'm teaching you Use it Apply what I'm teaching you that's what Jesus is saying to us through this text that we would hear what he says and apply those things in our life Not only sharing the gospel, but all the things that we learn weak by weak that we would be applying those things in our life because If we're not applying and it's not going to have an effect on us, is it? You know, it's like it's like muscles faith is like a muscle and as we Apply what we've learned about the gospel and what we're called to what we've been forgiven of all these things As we apply these things. It's like our faith is being worked out And you know that when you work out your muscles get bigger and when you don't work out They don't just stop getting bigger. They actually shrink don't they? Okay, it's kind of the same thing. Jesus is saying apply this stuff. So it's there when you need it Apply what you're hearing from the inherent and infallible word of God
Um, you know, did you know I can't speak Spanish? It's true. I can probably ask you where the bathroom is or a shoe store or something like that But that's it and you know that breaks my heart Because you know we've realized now we know from demographic studies that up to 30 to 37% of our neighbors around here speak Spanish And I had four years of high school Spanish and at the end of that high school Spanish. I could have at least said something But you know Significantly more than I could now and if I'd kept up with it if I'd continued right guess what I would be in a position to tell people the greatest news possible in their heart language So I'm kicking myself right because I didn't use it and I lost it and Jesus is saying look apply the gospel in every area of your life Keep it fresh step out in faith use this stuff that he is teaching to us So it is there for us so that we're working out those faith muscles so that when we need it there It's there so that when we hit those hard times where we're struggling with things very deeply We've got these good solid faith muscles on which we can continue to cling to Christ right? So he's he's calling us to apply what he's teaching and he's calling us to Teach what we know at the same time that is that is the sweet sweet truth that one of the ways we experience the richness and deepness of the gospel is By measuring it out to others by hearing him calling us to be Proclaimers and then as we do so we know that he is going to deepen our understanding of Him and so we want to be a church that Focuses on and equips one another and stirs each other up to gospel proclamation And I do want to say there's a whole lot of ways that we can share the gospel Okay, and I've said that I also want to say that we are working hard behind the scenes to get things In position so that we all get some good training that we're all capable of giving a basic gospel presentation Okay, we're working on that. It's coming remember. We're on a seven-year plan. Now we're in six years left So we've got plenty of time. We're moving forward, right? As a church together. We're all learning and growing together But you know think about this you already know enough to draw people to him You do now want you to think about your own testimony and the own effects in your life And how powerful that can be when you share that with somebody think about the power of the man who was blind and Jesus gave Him sight and everybody wanted to know how did this happen? What what did you do? What did you say? How did this happen? And he says a simple sweet thing irresistible to those who heard it All I know is I was blind and now I can see You and I can say all I know is I was I felt like I was in chains and now I'm free You and I can say I felt like I was rejected and now I'm accepted And those things about us those little things or even some of the major things God has done in our lives are Our tools that we can use to open doors to begin to share the secret with people and tell them the greatest news They'll ever hear and so so Jesus calls us to share this news to make the secret of the kingdom The worst kept secret in the history of the world and then he gives this encouragement that is like Man does he know us or what? Let's talk about these kingdom principles. Look in starting in verse 32 I I'm sorry 26 verse 26 and he said Pause there now. Notice that in the prior two sections It said and he said to them and then it said again and he said to them and now these two parables it starts with and he said Which the scholars think that Jesus probably has now gone back and is speaking to the whole crowd Which is why he's back into parables like this, okay? So he's still speaking to his disciples. They're hearing but the crowd is hearing too But remember he spoke in parables to crowds which is what we see in the last two verses so and he said 26 the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground He sleeps and rises night and day And the seeds sprouts and grows. He knows not how the earth by itself The earth produces by itself first the blade and the ear then the full grain in the ear But when the grain is ripe at once he puts in the sickle Because the harvest has come I can hear your pages turning spurge and you should say the sweetest sound for a pastor is the The sound of Bible pages turning and it's true. Okay. Here's what we see ready God's word is automatic This is absolutely amazing what Jesus is showing us here the automatic work of the word of God Let me tell you let me show you explain what I'm saying look at verse 24 just real quick again It says pay attention to what you are hearing and that word literally is pay attention that word is literally see So Jesus literally is saying see what you are hearing And that's why he's giving this picture that we want to see here We want to see what we are hearing and he talks about the seed and the other In the parable the sower being the word and so here we have this picture of of the power of the word and the way that it works It's one of the principles of the kingdom that God's word works Automatically and here's where we get that literally from the text look at verse 28. I love this It's the the two words by itself. You see those little two words there by itself That is one Greek word auto Maytos which is where we get our word automatic and what he's saying is that the the word of God acts without Instigation or intervention by another it just works on its own you so that seed you get that truth In front of a person into their ears and then it takes over and it does its own thing like a seed Maybe you've seen a video like this where there's stop motion where the the seeds are just sitting there Nobody's doing anything. There's the farmer's not getting them. They're cutting them open and like pulling the seeds out or anything There's no action no intervention What's in the seed Is the power and the information and all things needed for it to begin to just Grow and have its impact and begin to fill the space that it is in What an amazing picture what an amazing picture of the automatic way that the word of God works It's automatic. It's power is within it which means you and I don't have to be powerful We have to deliver the most powerful thing ever in existence the word of God This is so encouraging for those of us who are scared for those of us who who are you know feeling like we're not confident We don't know what to say guess what? You measure out what's been measured to you God uses that Okay, you don't have to have a seminary professor's knowledge of the Bible You don't have to be the greatest apologist in the history of the world and apologetics is very important and understanding These things in depths very important we should always be learning and growing but I'm telling you The word of God works on its own It's automatic And it's powerful Which means that you and I can feel confident We're running around with the most powerful thing in existence and we get to throw it and scatter it What an incredible privilege and what incredible encouragement for Jesus to show us the automatic the power of the word of God Does this mean that everybody that we Tell about Jesus is going to believe? No, that was the that was the point of the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils Okay last week Not everybody's going to believe but those whom God is calling when you sow that seed It's automatic It's automatic You know, we we get so scared about I don't know what to say. I don't know I'm not really good at this and that's what Moses said when God called him and said I want you to speak for me and Moses says You know, I I don't I don't speak so good God And God turns to him and says this is a paraphrase, but I love it. He says yeah Moses Who made your mouth? He loves to use you and me who are afraid to do this he loves to do that He because the word is automatic the word has the power Man if we take this literally we can share the gospel with somebody and then take a nap I'm not kidding. Look at it again, right? The the the the the the the sower or the the farmer He sows the seed and then it says he sleeps, right? So I'm not suggesting that you tell somebody about Jesus and then say excuse me and lay down and take a nap that might get a little awkward but You could and the reason is the power is in the word It's automatic, okay? So that gives me incredible encouragement and I hope and praying and I'm sure it does for you too It's automatic second kingdom principle that Jesus tells us look at 30 through 32 Uh, this is amazing insignificant things become profoundly important
Things that seem insignificant and obscure become profoundly important. That's how God operates That's part of the way his kingdom moves and Goes look at verse 30 And he said with what can we compare the kingdom of God or what parable show we use for it? It is like A grain of mustard seed which when sewn on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth Yet when it is sewn it grows up and becomes Larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches So that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade Isn't it amazing that he doesn't choose to use the analogy of a Like a mountain or a mighty cedar tree or a smashing hammer, but just a seed Just a little tiny seemingly insignificant Seed But like Mike said earlier you drop it and you're it's gone That's what he chooses to use to show us that that's how things work with God's kingdom that these seemingly insignificant things become profoundly important And which shows us that the the influence of God's kingdom God's will being done. This is spreading all over the world This is something that will not stop. This is something that cannot be stopped. We are part of something that will not be stopped Okay, this is such good news for you and me to know that the kingdom of God especially when it seems insignificant in your life or in someone else's It's on its way right? It's on its way to be the dominant influence in our life The dominant influence in our world no matter what is happening around us. We know That the kingdom of God cannot be stopped And it also gives us incredible encouragement about the picture of the nations in this passage It's amazing he's talking about this tree where the birds are coming and all the scholars believe that Jesus is alluding to Ezekiel 17 which is this great prophecy of this tree and all these different types of birds coming to rest and the branches and in the shade same wording It's beautiful and that's a prophecy talking about the nations coming in all the different birds representing all the different people groups Now we are moving towards the day when all the nations all people's all different types of people From all different nations come to the tree come to Actually the one who died on a tree To pay for their sins so encouraging and then even more think about this If that's true if it's kind of a principle of the kingdom that God takes things that seem sort of insignificant and obscure and unimportant and then he shows how they are profoundly important Think about what that says for our seemingly insignificant efforts in sharing the gospel with people
Just like Mike talked about in the children's sermon this kid Invited him to his church that's seemingly insignificant right
Not in the kingdom You know there's two statues in Washington DC that if you've been there you've probably seen at least one of them you probably haven't even heard of the other When you Talk about them together it actually shows a pretty Interesting story one of them is the statue of General Elysses S. Grant at the east end of the reflecting pool if you've ever been there It's this like majestic depiction of the legendary general atop his war stallion. I mean, it's it's powerful imagery Grant if you don't know he was say very Important figure in the civil war his Military leadership was probably one of the decisive factors in the civil war ending the way that it did so he's this symbol of strength and courage and There's another statue in Washington DC and Nobody really knows where it is right now. It's been moved eight times It just keeps getting put in these little obscure places. It is of a man named major general John Rollins Who's that guy right? John Rollins was Elysses S. Grant's chief of staff And as the war broke out Rollins knew something about Grant that not too many people knew He had a terrible battle with alcoholism and so Rollins says to Grant You need to promise me that you'll stay away When you're on the battlefield stay away from the alcohol when you're on the battlefield and Grant agreed and then Rollins Reminded him of that little promise throughout the war That little insignificant thing seemingly right and what we can see now Historians say that if Rollins had not done that then Grant wouldn't have been able to lead the army wouldn't have been able to get in his horse So that little insignificant thing we now see oh significance beyond our wildest imagination And that's what you and I need to see that God uses these seemingly insignificant things even our efforts Sometimes seem to be insignificant But they're not I remember when a man that I didn't know very well at all Asked me if he could do something sort of seemingly insignificant. He said hey Can I call you and Can we talk about the Bible together? I said sure And so he would call And he'd say that gets your Bible and I get my Bible and he'd say why don't you turn to this book in this chapter And I would turn to that book and that chapter and he'd say why don't you read it to me And I would read it to him and then he'd say What is that saying and he was what it was doing in me What it does in people It's unbelievable and so that seemingly insignificant maneuver on that man's part It's my father-in-law Brought about one of the most defining moments of my life
So it's not insignificant. Okay, even sure even our seemingly little Efforts are not insignificant. They are they become profoundly Important as we share the gospel. So this is good news the fact of the automatic work of the word the fact of the way that our seemingly insignificant things God makes them into very very dominant and important things in the lives of people This is encouraging. This is what we need Jesus knows us. He knows we need this to get out and get out and tell people And so he gives it to us the simple call to measure out what's been measured to us And you know what else these two Parables these principles help us fix our eyes on Jesus to and understand the cross even better Thinking about this Thinking about the kingdom and the cross The kingdom these principles. What does this tell us about Jesus? What is God saying to us here that Jesus death seemingly insignificant death of Christ becomes the most important one of the most important events in history doesn't it That's what happens through faith when you choose to believe in Christ the seemingly insignificant death of a religious leader outside of Jerusalem It becomes the most important thing in your life. It becomes the most dominant thing in your being doesn't it That's how things happen and and this reality of it being one of the most important events Why because also along with that is his that just his death but his resurrection his life all of these things that are imputed to us This is a reality that even when we think it's it the cross seems to be very insignificant of the in the lives of the people that we're talking to We give that automatic word and his cross looms larger and larger in their lives the other point to think about Is the way that Jesus works automatically that he worked Automatically That he is the word of God Jesus is the word of God incarnate and his sacrificial death on the cross Automatically saved those who believe this is the good news This is the gospel that we are proclaiming we're not out to tell everybody Hey, you need to behave this way and that way or that's it. That's not what we're saying That's not our message. That's not good news. That's good advice. We have news to share And that news is that when Jesus Christ allowed himself to be hung on a tree
That he was removing our sin that he was transferring his righteousness to us that he was giving us life that he was Reconciling us to God that he was making things Good and sweet between us that he was saving us that good news and he did it automatically We don't do anything we don't contribute to that He did it the word of God works automatically Without our intervention or instigation that is such good news and the people of this city don't know it And the people in cities all over the world they don't know that And we get to be the ones that tell them about the father's great love and the son's great sacrifice and the Holy Spirit's ongoing work in our lives today And the birds will come They're coming The birds are coming the nations are going to be coming To the king Because of what he's done on the tree. Hey, you know, it's only 11 weeks till Easter
Why do I say that? Easter is one of two times a year where non-Christians are far more likely to come to church if invited than any other of the times of the year You can guess what the other time is and it's not flag day
11 weeks Okay, if my math is right So he's out there calculating I think it's 10 math. I don't know what it is but it's it's coming And it's I want to I want to challenge every one of us myself included That we would begin to seek to reach out to somebody in our midst Paul says make The best of every opportunity that we have who's he put you around who can you begin to so seeds with and then we can try to have a Big invitation between now and Easter and on Easter maybe we'll have even more people than normal Wouldn't that be amazing and then what we're going to do on Easter Sunday and for the following weeks We're going to start a five week series Just talking about the difference between life In Christ and outside of Christ and so it's going to be a great opportunity for people who know very little about Jesus to come and just learn and get loved on by us and most importantly by God through the Holy Spirit. So Are you up for a challenge with you and your life groups? Talk about ways that you guys can begin to So seeds with people in your midst in your areas and then Maybe we'll see more people than normal here on Easter Sunday And maybe we'll get to see that word working automatically within them and maybe we'll even see the Lord God multiply This people Would that be sweet? Let's pray
bother we uh We we forget how powerful your word is we forget how independently from us you Have saved us Would you drill the gospel down into the very very depths of our hearts where we are hurting where we need to know the gospel covers all of our shame all of our guilt that what Christ has done has paid for it all Shame we carry over things we've done Shame we carry even over things done to us the way we've been hurt the way we've been abused the way we've been treated poorly There there's no shame now because of Christ and we want to be a people That speaks that life giving truth to people and then we want your word to work as it as it does to not return void but to work automatically And so we pray for your will to be done and your kingdom to come and we pray for the gospel to advance in our hearts and in our city and in this world until the king returns and makes all things new You are for us who can be against us give us courage and give us feet And move our mouths in our hands For the glory of our king the Lord Jesus in whom's name we pray Amen