Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Sam Huff's sermon from Mark 4:30-41.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Sam Huff's sermon from Mark 4:30-41.
Bobby: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles, and my colleague is Lindsey Blair. This past Sunday, Pastor Sam Huff preached from Mark Four, verses thirty through forty-one, in our series called Riddles of Redemption.
Lindsey: Pastor Sam said that the power of Jesus’ mission is the presence of Jesus with his people. If you’ve forgotten or missed the sermon, it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Bobby: Sam began by reminding us of the story of Jesus, in the boat with his disciples, calming a storm. He said that once we can see that we are in the boat, filled with doubt, and hear Jesus’ words to us, then we are ready to really talk about the mission of the Kingdom of God. These verses show us two factors to the mission of God’s Kingdom: The Power and the Pattern.
Lindsey: So far in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has shown power over the spiritual world (demons, unclean spirits), body (sickness and disease), and sin. Now, we see Jesus display his power over nature itself when he calms the wind and waves. Jesus is in the boat with us, calming our fears. If you have encountered the saving work of King Jesus in your life…then you have a powerful story to tell. This leads us to the second reality this passage shows us regarding the mission of God – the Pattern.
Bobby: Jesus tells three parables between verse twenty-one and thirty-two to give us the pattern for how we must operate as we participate in the mission. By using the illustration of a lamp, Jesus is teaching us that sowing seed is not an end in itself. He is saying that you are the light by which the good news of King Jesus and his Kingdom are seen. And the farmer doesn’t sow seed just for sake of it. Its because they want to see it grow and come to life — we want people to praise Jesus.
Lindsey: We wait for the seed to grow but the waiting is not the end. Amidst the waiting, we are trusting the power of God. Therefore, we sow, we wait, but we also expect. The parable of the mustard seed shows that God can take a tiny seed and bring it to life so that other life can find safety and refuge in its branches. In the same way that God has the power to take a tiny seed and have it become flourishing life, so he can take a dead heart and bring it to life.
Bobby: Pastor Sam said, “Here we are in the boat, consumed by the wind and waves. But we have seen the mission of God’s Kingdom at work in our own lives and the lives of so many others. We have seen what happens when someone sows, waits, and expects. So, the question should not be “Do I have what it takes”, but rather “Is Jesus in the boat?”
Lindsey: This Sunday, we will continue our sermon series, Riddles Of Redemption with Pastor Daniel Wainwright, our church planter to Lyon, France. In Bible Fellowship, we’ll discuss Exodus thirty-two, the story of the Golden Calf. Join us and bring a friend.