Year 2 Day 95

Year 2 Day 95

Pray (ACts)

Read - Mark 4:24-25

Message - Alan Burke
Here Jesus teaches those who have they will be given more, while those who do not have even what they have will be taken away. Take this mantra and make a political slogan, the mandate of an election campaign and I doubt that anyone would have success with it. All of us want more, more money in our pocket or bank account, more suff, a nicer house, the idea of taking what we have from us doesn’t sit nicely with us. So what is Jesus on about. Well remember Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of God and here he is teaching how people respond to the coming kingdom, how they are responding to Jesus Himself. He begins with telling them to be careful what they hear…

The measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more… this time Jesus uses imagery of the market place. Measuring instruments were used to maintain the integrity of sales and trades in the marketplace, you need a standard in measuring. When the measure is used elsewhere, it is uses for how you measure others, the judgement you pronounced you will be judged, the measure you use it will me measured to you, but here there is different emphasis than Jesus uses in Matthew and Luke (Mt 7:2, Lk 6:38). Here the emphasis is on the teaching of Jesus Himself, on spiritual perception. 

In effect he is saying when you come wanting to have more you’ll get more, you’ll gain a deeper understanding, but when you have opposition in your heart, when you come not really caring or wanting to know, then what little you had will be taken away. These words of Jesus are a warning and a promise, a warning to all to consider carefully what we hear and to all of us it is a promise to those of us who will hear. Only those who have “ears to hear” will heed it, and this hearing must be granted by Christ so that we can understand the secret of the kingdom of God (vv. 9, 11, 23, 33).

When you come wanting more, you’ll get more, you’ll gain a deeper understanding, when you come not really caring or wanting to know, then what little you had will be taken away. With the measure you use will be used to you, the same principle goes for a lot of things, you get out of it what you put into it. The Lord is exceedingly generous to us, but ultimately Jesus here was explaining to the disciples and the others, what they had already seen first hand in those around them. Those who were listening, who wanted to understand had ears to hear, but the pharisees well what little they had was being taken away, and the same with the crowd who were just coming for the miracles. The Lord God gives more only to those who truly want what they have already received. Christ will not continue to dispense His revelation to us unless we want Him to fill our measure with it.

The when you come wanting more, you’ll get more, you’ll gain a deeper understanding, but when you have opposition in your heart then what little you had will be taken away. With the measure you use will be used to you. We see this same thing play out today, if you’re coming to Jesus and you want to know him, if you are aware of your need of him then your going to get more, much will be added to you, but if your hearts cynical, you go to worship out of habit, or because it’s your social club, if you’re not here for Jesus then what little you have will be taken away. Don’t be surprised if what little you had will be gone, the spiritually rich get richer the spiritually poor get poorer, here we have the insiders and the outsiders, if we are open to Jesus then we will receive more and more and more, we will grow in our love of the Lord this place will be transformed, but if we do not, more and more will be taken away and concealed from us. For those of us want more, think about this amazing promise, the more you put in the more you get out, sit with your bibles open, a note book and pen, taking it in, going and discussing with others, calling it to mind during the week and you will be given more by God!

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q98 What is prayer? 
Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, (Ps. 62:8) for things agreeable to his will, (1 John 5:14) in the name of Christ, (John 16:23) with confession of our sins, (Ps. 32:5–6, Dan. 9:4) and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies. (Phil. 4:6)
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