Mark 4:10-12, 21-25 The Purpose of the Parables

God is God. He can do what he wants. Think about that. God is what we have always wanted to be. Isn't it true that from early childhood we have desired, longed for, dreamed about, being able to do whatever we want? This is because we are fallen. It is part and parcel of our sinful, fallen nature to desire autonomy. Think about that word. Autonomy.  It is everything we desire as human beings. And yet, at the same time, it is the greatest witness to our sinful nature. We are not king. We are not the ruler of our own destiny. We do not own ourselves. This is not our life. We belong to God. But in our rebellion we have sought autonomy. Autonomy, if you think about it, is the original sin. It is only when we submit ourselves to Christ in faith that we can say we are back on the right path.

But the reason why autonomy is wrong for us is because we are not God. But God is God and God is autonomous. He does whatever he wants.

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, 

and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, 

and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?”

--Daniel 4:34-35

Are there no limits at all, then, to what God can do? Well, of course, God cannot stop being God. It would follow, then, that the only limits to what God can do are those established by his nature. For example, God cannot sin. He cannot go back on his word. He cannot act in an unjust way. But these are not limits, they are who He is.

But within the nature of who God is he can do exactly anything he wants. In other words, there is nothing outside of God to restrain his free will to do as he pleases. But we must understand that he always wills to do what is right, for that is his nature. That is what pleases him. For not only is God sovereign, but he is also good. And gracious. And in that is our hope, for had not God first loved us we would never have loved him.

The reason for bringing all this up is because of what Jesus tells his disciples when they ask him why he is teaching the multitudes in parables.

The purpose of the parables is two-fold. It is to reveal mysteries to those who respond to Jesus in faith, and to hide them from those who approach him in unbelief. Jesus even quotes from Isaiah 6 to emphasize his point:

so that

“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,

and may indeed hear but not understand,

lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

Below you will find a link to the sermon I preached from this text on Sunday, April 9, 2017. Just click on the link and a new window will open in your browser where you will find the link to the audio recording. Just click and listen. God bless.



Click here: Mark 4:10-12, 21-25 - The Purpose of the Parables



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Psalm 33 - In Praise of God's Word and Power::

In the Bible the word of God is often used synonymously with God's decrees. In other words, what God says will happen will happen and, conversely, what happens is what God says will happen. We see this in the creation story of Genesis chapter 1. God speaks and the worlds come into existence. Psalm 33 echoes that creation account:

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Psalm 33:6

God's decree not only brought the worlds into existence, but the decree of God sustains their existence. God's sovereignty extends over all of creation, including the creatures made in his image.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:10-11

In Psalm 33 David is praising God for his word and his power. In support of this praise he points out God's creating the worlds out of nothing, working his sovereign will over the nations, and choosing a people for himself.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Psalm 33:12

Who these people are and what that heritage is I delve into in more detail in the sermon. I hope you will take the time to listen and think about what God was saying through David in this psalm. Some of my conclusions are quite challenging to the modern American church. I don't back away from controversy here. But what I speak I speak in love. The audio is linked below.

Click here: Psalm 33 - In Praise of God's Word and Power

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Psalm 24 - The King of Glory

The Christian view of the universe and God's relationship to it encompasses three ideas:

God is creator.
God is sustainer.
God is sovereign (always in complete control).

God spoke and the universe came into existence. God continues to speak and therefore it continues to exist. As Paul quoted in his sermon at the Areopagus, "In him we live, move, and have our being." God created all things, he sustains all existence, and everything happens according to his decree. This is the historic Christian view, and insofar as some Christians have and do depart from that view they depart from the historic Christian faith.

What, then, of free will? Do we deny it? Not in the classical sense of the term, we don't. Men are free creatures in that their actions are uncoerced by God. Our decisions are our own. Man is free and responsible. How do we reconcile this to God's sovereignty? Well, that's one of the things discussed in this sermon I preached from Psalm 24.

The second and more important question I seek to answer in this sermon is what kind of person can enter into the presence of God? Psalm 24 answers that as well. And it also points us toward a hope beyond what we could ever hope to attain by ourselves. It point us to the King of Glory.

Just click here to listen to the sermon:  Psalm 24 - The King of Glory

Sovereignty

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, (Philippians 1:12 ESV)

Is God in control? No, I mean is God really in control? Of everything?

These are the questions we find ourselves asking sometimes, especially when things are not going the way we think they should. We often have things worked out in our minds--the way we think they should go--and when things don't happen according to our plan, or the way we think God ought to work, then we wonder. We question.

I want you to know without any doubt that God is in control of his universe. Nothing is random. Nothing is happenstance. Nothing is coincidence. God rules. Paul says so in Romans:

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 ESV)

And Ephesians:

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (Ephesians 1:11 ESV) (emphasis mine)

To illustrate this there once was a great King who ruled a great empire. He took great pride in his empire, and his city, and his great accomplishments. He was filled with so much pride that he secretly believed himself to be the most powerful man ever. He ruled the world! You may have heard of this guy. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. His empire was Babylon. 

In Daniel 4:30 we read where Nebuchadnezzar says this: "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 

But God had a lesson for him. Nebuchadnezzar needed to learn who was really in charge, who had control of this world, who had built his Babylon. So he was driven mad for seven years and when he returned to his senses this is what he had to say:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34-35 ESV)

The lesson is clear. We may think we are in control, but we are not. It may seem sometimes as if God is not in control, but he is. Always. He does according to his will both in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. None can stop him from accomplishing his purposes. None is in a position to question him. Not you. Not me. Not Nebuchadnezzar. Not Caesar Nero. God is at work. Always.

That's a comforting thought! God is always at work in the world accomplishing his purposes. Paul's enemies may conspire against him. The governors of this world may do their worst. Paul may even be bound in prison for years. But make no mistake. It is all coming to pass in fulfillment of God's purposes. The gospel is not being thwarted. The gospel is being advanced. Isn't that amazing? We may think that Satan or this world are getting the upper hand, but they are never getting the upper hand. Never. God is always in control.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, (Philippians 1:12 ESV)

Now, doesn't that make you smile?