WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.280 Let's hear for Jill. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:14.240 Well, as you uh know, if you've been around here for a little bit, we're in the season of Lent, and Lent is this time uh this is an invitation to prepare ourselves for Easter. 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:20.239 And one of the things that we want to do throughout the season of Lent is engage in in particular prayer practices. 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:24.719 Um, this is a chance for us to just engage more deeply with Jesus. 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:31.120 And so what we've done is we've actually asked people to try them out and uh tell us tell us all how they go. 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:32.320 So this is Michael Leach. 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:34.159 I'm gonna give Michael a hand. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:38.880 Now, Michael, I understand you love public speaking and being in front of people, hey. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.200 Yes, you have to put the mic up. 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:45.679 That's actually part of the part of the deal here. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:52.000 Um so Michael is um gonna tell us a little bit about a prayer practice which is called the prayer of examine. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:57.039 So, Michael, maybe on the front end, just explain to everyone what is the prayer of examine. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:57.679 Okay. 00:00:58.960 --> 00:00:59.600 Is this on? 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:00.560 Oh, no. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:01.280 There we go. 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:01.759 Now we're good. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:02.640 Yeah, hello? 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:02.960 Okay. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:04.000 All right. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:10.480 So basically it's a it's a slightly different way to spend time with the Lord um than your traditional prayer. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:19.519 We actually get time to reflect on your day, um, find out which areas of your day you allowed the Lord to lead you and you could glorify his name. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:29.920 But at the same time, the flip side of that also gets a chance to examine the parts of your day that weren't so great, you know, some of the bad habits, uh like are you a monster when there's traffic? 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:45.920 Um do you choose to fit in rather than stand out with work colleagues or whatever the situation is, it gives you time to reflect on that and then also ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through that and uh to turn those areas into opportunities to glorify God as well. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:46.239 Yeah. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:55.439 So basically it's that and also gives you time to reflect on the small things in life, the little things that just run past you, you don't even take notice anymore. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:58.719 So it's uh it's an opportunity to be thankful for more things. 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:03.840 So before starting this prayer practice, did you have any impressions of it? 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:05.840 Um not really. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.759 Uh it was just like I thought of it as something new. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:15.280 And uh we've just moved to Canada, so a lot of new stuff have happened, so I'm a little bit over of new. 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:20.240 Um but yeah, this once I started it, I actually realized it's something I needed. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:20.560 Yeah. 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:21.039 Cool. 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:27.199 And as you engaged in this, was there any uh moments uh where you felt like you heard something or learned something? 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:28.800 Oh yeah, absolutely. 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:47.120 Um I mean, even something simple like smelling coffee in the morning, you know, or um the sun on your face after a long rainy season, or looking at the blooms on the trees now, it's the small things that you take for granted that actually you can see the the Lord's power and his glory shine through things like that. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:56.719 But also the the things in my day-to-day where I could see, okay, I'm not focusing in this area and I should be, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in that, yeah. 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:02.960 So it gave you a deeper awareness for the work that Jesus is doing in the mundane, the things that we often miss. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:03.360 Yeah. 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:04.479 That's really cool. 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:08.960 Uh as we're finishing off here, why would you recommend others try this out? 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.199 Oh yeah, it's it's just a different way. 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:15.840 I mean, the goal is to build a relationship with God, and uh it's just a different way of doing it. 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:24.400 Um, in a conversation format, you can uh just open it, uh be real with the Lord, and it just brings you closer in many ways. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:32.319 And uh also it's really fun in the sense that next day you can try to do better than the first day and you know, try and build on each day by day. 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:32.639 Yeah. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:33.439 Amazing. 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:34.800 Well, thank you so much, Michael. 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.400 Thank you for being our guinea pig and showing us what this looks like. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.879 So, everyone, can we give a hand for Michael? 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:48.319 Uh I I have been able to do this prayer practice on many occasions, and I highly recommend it. 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:55.680 Um, it really is a sweet time to be able to walk through your day with the Holy Spirit and just allow him to unpack some of those things for you. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:02.000 And so if you didn't get one on the way in, Tom will have some of those cards and it just gives you a little bit of a rundown on how to do this. 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.919 And I just encourage you, find one or two days this week to put this into practice. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:12.560 Um, if you're like me, where you get distracted very easily, one of the easiest things you can do is just do this through a journaling process. 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:18.399 So get a pad of paper or a notebook and uh just respond to what you're hearing as you read through that. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:22.800 Uh, really quick, if you are new here with us, my name is Andrew Haas, one of the leaders here. 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:27.120 And I get the privilege and honor of uh walking us through God's Word this morning. 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:29.839 And so if you are new, we're very, very glad that you are here. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.319 If you have your Bibles, we're gonna be in Mark chapter four. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:34.000 If you don't have a Bible, please grab one. 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.879 We have them either side of the theater, our free gift to you. 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:42.399 And of course, um, there's so many options to get them digitally in the app store in your phone. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:47.839 Uh, we have been walking through the book of Mark for uh the past two months or so. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:53.680 And Mark is one of the four books that deals with the life, uh, death, burial, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus. 00:04:53.920 --> 00:05:00.240 And as we we open Mark, Mark starts with this really uh beautiful declaration in Mark chapter one, verse 15. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:03.439 He describes that Jesus starts his ministry with this proclamation. 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:04.800 This is what Jesus says. 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:06.879 Mark chapter one, verse 15. 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:11.199 Jesus says, This the time has come, the kingdom of God has come near. 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:13.839 Repent and believe the good news. 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:22.800 And from that point on, what Mark is essentially doing is helping us understand what Jesus is talking about in this, in this little small declaration. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:27.680 Jesus is basically saying, In and through me, God's kingdom is in breaking into our reality. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:31.519 And then we get scene after scene after scene of what that actually looks like. 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:36.399 But as we come to Mark chapter four, Jesus actually pauses for a moment. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:46.800 And instead of just doing, Jesus pauses to teach so that his followers and us, the readers of Mark, are able to actually understand what it is that we are seeing. 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:52.879 Jesus wants us to understand what it actually means when he describes what his kingdom is like. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:58.399 What we're gonna see today is that Jesus is describing the kingdom of God in a particular way. 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:02.319 And it's not the way that we might be primed to expect. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:07.120 In Jesus' day and age, the power in the world was Rome. 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:13.439 Now, I've heard the stat like a dude in his average day thinks about Rome like 10 times. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:15.279 So I don't know if that's you. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:19.839 It's definitely not completely true of me, but not completely untrue of me either. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.759 Uh, Rome is this big imperial power. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:32.800 They have statues, they have armies, they have philosophy, they have politics, they have intrigue, they have power. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:42.399 And in Jesus' day and age, the Jewish people that he was talking to were under the iron fist of Rome. 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:47.680 And in their mind, God's kingdom was gonna be like Rome, but on their side. 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:54.639 This huge imperial power that was gonna come and crush everyone around them. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.920 But Jesus doesn't describe the kingdom of God that way. 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:07.519 He describes it like a lamp in a house, a seed in the dirt, a weed in the field. 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:28.079 What Jesus is inviting us to as we read these three stories, these parables, if you will, from Mark chapter four today, is he's inviting us to ask, what if the kingdom of God really is actually pretty unimpressive and insignificant at face value? 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:32.079 What if there's no flash, no spectacle? 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:43.759 And what if you and I have been looking at the wrong things to see if the kingdom of God is actually present and at work in our reality? 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:57.199 Jesus is inviting you and I, as we read through these three parables today, to actually see the kingdom of heaven through his eyes so that we can properly respond to it when we encounter it. 00:07:57.439 --> 00:07:58.480 So let's start. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.759 First story about a lamp on a stand. 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:03.759 Mark chapter 4, verse 21. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:04.959 This is what Mark writes. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:11.439 He, meaning Jesus, said to them, Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:14.079 Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:20.160 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.879 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.000 Consider carefully what you hear, he continued. 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:30.959 With the measure you use it, it will be measured to you, and even more. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:37.919 Whoever has will be given more, whoever does not have, even what they have, will be taken from them. 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.159 Do we have any kids who grew up in the 90s? 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:45.039 Or people who grew up in the 90s, they're not kids anymore, you're like 40, but okay, a few of you. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.720 Uh I'm I'm a kid, I was born in the 80s, but grew up in the 90s. 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:51.360 Do you guys remember the phrase, no duh? 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:52.320 Anyone? 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:52.879 Right? 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:57.200 You know, someone's like, says something super obvious, and you're like, no duh. 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:59.600 This is Jesus' no duh moment. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:05.519 So people are looking at this movement that he has, and on the surface, it looks completely and utterly unimpressive. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:11.039 We have a group of peasants and outsiders that Jesus has collected around him. 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:16.639 He's in the backwater part of a backwater country at the edge of the Roman Empire. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:21.200 He himself is an uneducated Galilean peasant. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:25.279 And he's declaring that the kingdom of God is in breaking through him. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:29.039 And there's some people who are looking at them being like, uh, I don't think so, Jesus. 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:31.519 Like, this seems pretty unimpressive. 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:36.320 Don't you think the kingdom of God should be a little bit more flash, a little bit more bang? 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:38.720 And Jesus just pauses for a second. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:43.679 He's like, hey guys, um, you know, you know what a lamp's for, right? 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:48.399 A lamp's, a lamp's gonna get lit and it's gonna produce light. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.159 Like, you don't hide the lamp. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:51.759 This is Jesus' no-da moment. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.799 He's like, guys, this is the kingdom of heaven. 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:59.840 Like it will, it will completely encapsulate everything else. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.679 That is its purpose. 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:03.919 Why does Jesus say this? 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:13.360 Well, Jesus is talking to his followers, he's talking to the people on the ground who are looking at this and they're starting to question, is this the real deal? 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:15.840 And I think for some of us, we're in that place. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:17.440 We talk about this all the time, right? 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:18.320 We live in Victoria. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:23.120 Victoria is one of the least churched cities in English-speaking North America. 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:31.039 And sometimes we look around and we're like, is this Kingdom of God thing actually like doing anything? 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.840 Like West Village and other churches in our city, we we have these big vision statements, right? 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.799 Like we want to saturate the city of Victoria, and we do. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:39.440 We do. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.440 We want to see transformation happen. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:49.039 But sometimes it feels like a challenge just to even get out of my bed in the morning and and make it to a church gathering. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.559 And so we look at this and we're like, is this actually real? 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:53.600 Is this legitimate? 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:57.679 Is the kingdom of God actually happening? 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:00.639 Jesus says, Yes, of course. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:02.000 It is what it's made for. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:06.960 The kingdom of heaven will one day cover the earth like the waters cover the seas. 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.240 But then he invites us to press in. 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:15.759 And so he calls us to have ears to listen. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:17.919 And he offers us two things. 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:22.240 He offers us, on the one hand, an encouragement or a promise. 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:33.919 Jesus is basically saying here that the kingdom of God will come to full food uh fruition in its fullness. 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:36.000 So cling to that. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:37.679 Cling to that. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:57.600 If you're here today and you're discouraged because you've been working really, really hard and you've been sharing your faith and you've been trying to see transformation and change happen in your life, Jesus is here promising that the things that you are investing in, like they will come to fruition. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:06.240 There is gonna come a day when God's righteous rule, reign, and authority is the only thing that governs how the world works. 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.759 And in that moment, you will be vindicated. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.279 But he's also offering us a warning. 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:16.720 And the warning is the same. 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:21.039 God's righteous rule and reign will cover the earth. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:32.159 And if today you lose heart, if today you lose faith, if today you treat it casually or superficially, Jesus says the little that you have is going to be lost. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:38.960 There's gonna come a day when God's righteous rule and uh righteous rule and reign push back darkness. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:44.799 And if you've allied yourself, if you've given yourself over to darkness, you will be pushed back too. 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:54.639 So Jesus is inviting us to see that his kingdom is a kingdom that is here but also coming. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:59.679 And his invitation to you and I is to invest deeply. 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:02.240 The word he uses is measure. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:03.919 And he's not talking about comparison. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.759 He's not saying, you know, the the measure that you have compared to someone else. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:09.840 He's talking about your heart posture. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.720 Have you been casually following Jesus? 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:22.000 Is it this additional add-on to your life that could be kind of thrown away if something better came along? 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:29.279 Just saying that that type of heart, that type of attitude one day, it's gonna get you into trouble. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:44.000 But even though you might not see the full fruition of what you're investing in now, if you cling to him, if you pour your life into him, if you invest deeply into him, one day you will get to experience the reward of that investment. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:54.000 So the lamp reminds us that Jesus' kingdom is a kingdom in progress. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:58.960 And just because we don't see it now does not mean that we casually write it off. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:05.440 Rather, we are being invited to listen deeply and invest with our whole being. 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.799 The second parable is a parable about a seed. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:13.360 Jesus continues and he says, This is what the kingdom of God is like. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:22.320 A man scatters a seed on the ground, night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:29.200 All by itself, the soil produces grain, first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:34.480 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:39.120 So Jesus gives this second parable, and on face value, it is already encouraging. 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:42.720 I read this um recently in my quiet time. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:46.480 In the basic level was just deeply encouraging for me. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:53.519 Here's what Jesus is saying the seeds that get planted, at a certain point, there's nothing you can do about them. 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:55.840 You just have to trust that they're gonna grow. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:00.559 This picture is a farmer who plants his seeds and then he has to keep going about his day. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:01.679 He goes to sleep, he gets up. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:02.720 He goes to sleep, he gets up. 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:03.919 He can't do anything. 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:07.759 Something or someone else has to make the seed grow. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:13.200 And on that level alone, Jesus is inviting us to understand that it's not us who grow seeds. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:17.360 We get to be invited to plant them, but he is the one who grows them. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:24.879 And I'll flesh this out a little bit more, but I want to help us see that there's actually a deeper meaning that sometimes we miss in this. 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:37.039 This very last sentence here that Jesus says, as soon as a grain is ripe, he puts a sickle to it because the harvest has come, echoes a passage of scripture from the Old Testament. 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:39.360 The scripture is from Joel chapter three. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:44.799 Joel was a prophet who was declaring what God was going to be doing in the nation of Israel in the future. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:52.000 And one of the things that he stated is that God is going to come like a farmer who cuts the grain in the field. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:53.919 And there were two aspects to this. 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:59.759 One was that God was going to gather in the people of Israel and bring about his righteous rule, reign, and authority. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:06.000 But on the same side, there was a judgment aspect to that, that God was going to come and push back darkness. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:14.080 There was going to come a moment when God restored and fulfilled the promises that he had made to Israel. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:18.799 And this actually is about what we would call resurrection. 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:24.080 You see, when you and I think about resurrection, we often think about it as an individual thing that happens. 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:30.639 You know, resurrection is the idea that when we die, Jesus will give us a new body and we'll rise from the dead. 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:37.600 But for the first century Jew, resurrection was a much larger, more holistic picture of restoration. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:42.559 It wasn't just about our bodily resuscitation. 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:56.159 It was actually a picture of God restoring his rule and reign and his people to their rightful place, where righteousness and goodness were what was all that there was. 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:08.160 And so what Jesus is saying here is that there is going to come a day when the seed that has been planted will bring about the fruit of resurrection. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:12.799 Now we gotta also look at this picture of the seed. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:16.799 When we look at the seed, it gets buried in the ground, and what happens to it? 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:18.640 It functionally dies, right? 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.000 Seed has to break apart for life to be reproduced. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:26.319 What Jesus is offering us here is a picture of how the kingdom works. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:35.519 He is the seed that is buried in the ground, whose life is given so that life can be produced. 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:48.319 This is Jesus' promise to us that through him, through his death, he is going to bring about the resurrection hope that his contemporaries at the first century Jews were waiting for. 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:50.400 That is good news. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:54.720 That is a picture of how the kingdom comes to fruition. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:18:05.680 But it also not only offers us a global picture of how God's kingdom is coming to be, but a pattern of how God's kingdom works itself out in various situations. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:15.599 I think many of us have seeds that have been planted in our lives, and we want them to grow into fruitfulness. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:19.920 And what we sometimes forget is that something in us has to die for that to happen first. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:27.279 There's these things that we cling to, these things that we hold on to that need to actually be put to death. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:32.720 One of the pictures that we have of someone coming to faith in Jesus is what we call baptism. 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.440 And if any of you have seen a baptism, you know how it works. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:37.759 We take someone and we put them under the water. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:39.119 What is that to represent? 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:40.079 Death. 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:46.799 But out of that, they come into a new resurrection life. 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:57.839 And perhaps some of us are fighting back, we're pushing back because death is painful, death is hard, death is not something that we usually want. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:07.359 And yet Jesus' promise is that as these things that are in us get put to death, that is the means by which he will produce life. 00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:11.599 So what is that thing that you're clinging to? 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:22.880 That thing that you're fighting with, that thing that you're holding on to, that Jesus is inviting you to surrender to him so that he can bring new life in your own reality. 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:27.839 And this isn't just true on a personal level. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:30.480 This is true on a missional level. 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:42.400 Jesus invites us to understand, again, that the seeds that we plant, we can't always be grow. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:45.119 Some of you know Shannon and my story. 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:49.920 We moved to Victoria in 2016, and we moved here because I'd grown up here. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:50.960 I loved the city. 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:58.640 But more than that, um, Chris, who had planted West Village, started our church, uh, he started sharing these stats, the stats that I share with you all the time. 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:04.000 West Village is in Victoria, and Victoria is one of those least church cities in English-speaking North America. 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:12.559 And we just felt compelled that we wanted to be part of a community that was going to share our faith and the love of Jesus with this city. 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:14.640 And so we moved out here. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.400 And we started planting seeds. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:23.920 I got a job in a distillery/slash brewery, and I would have these great spiritual conversations with my coworker. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.480 Not a single coworker knew and followed Jesus. 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:32.720 And Shannon was a nurse, and so she would share stuff with her coworkers, and we would share stuff with uh people that were our neighbors. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:36.480 And then we moved in uh 2018 to our neighborhood. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:40.079 And we planted seeds there, and we we tried to do a lot of things. 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:48.960 And I'll be honest with you, I started to get discouraged because I planted seed after seed after seed, and we weren't seeing the fruit. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:51.759 We weren't seeing the resurrection reality. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:21:00.079 And the temptation for me as a person who's like a get after it, go for it type of person is to try and figure out how I can control those situations. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:12.640 So I'd work harder and do more, and I became exhausted because I was carrying something that I was not actually able to produce. 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:16.160 The weight of change and transformation. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:27.119 We had a uh opportunity, Shannon and I and Andrew and Megan had an opportunity to go to the Soma leader retreat a couple of weekends ago. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:28.640 And it was a really beautiful time. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:35.440 We had this speaker named Hugh Halter, and he spoke uh profoundly to my heart posture, and maybe this is your heart posture. 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:42.880 He said, Some of us are burning ourselves out because, in essence, we're planting seeds and then we're trying to force them to grow. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:50.880 And so we're tired, we're exhausted because we're carrying something that God has said is his job to carry. 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:58.799 And he gave us um three things that scripture tells us are God's job and not our job. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.759 And I'll just give you one of them. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:05.039 He said, we cannot convert, convince, or convict people. 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:06.640 Say that again. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:11.279 We cannot convert, convince, or convict people. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:16.079 Now, guys, I'm literally like a full-time paid Christian. 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:20.000 Like you guys give me money to Christian things, okay? 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.359 And I am, I love it. 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:24.799 I love that I get to do it. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:28.720 But sometimes I start to get in on God's zone. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:31.519 And he's telling me, like, Andrew, stay in your lane, plant seeds. 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:34.400 And I'm like, no, but I think I can convince people. 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:39.599 So I come over to your house because the running joke is, Andrew has a wonderful plan for your life, and I really do. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:43.519 I know all the things that are going to make you fruitful and happy. 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:46.400 And I come over and I give you that plan. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:48.160 Guess what? 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.440 Half the time you're like, uh no. 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.000 Why? 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:57.359 Because I cannot convince you. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.720 I cannot change your mind because I'm not God. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:09.759 When you try to do this with your kids, I am going to convict, convince, or convert my kids. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:12.000 Guess what? 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.079 It doesn't work. 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:19.279 Because that's God's job, not our job. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:33.759 When we go out into the world and we think, man, if I just had the best argument and we try and give that to people, we shouldn't be surprised if sometimes it doesn't work. 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.000 And I love apologetics. 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:41.839 I particularly appreciate how uh Wes Huff, who's part of Apologetics Canada, has like blown up in the media. 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:43.039 He was like Joe Rogan. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.559 I'm like, man, this guy's brilliant. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:50.160 He's given all these like hard-hitting, real responses to why Christianity is real, why it's true. 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:54.640 And if you're a Christian, you're like, I need some facts, go YouTube Wes Huff. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.079 You'll get all the facts you need. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:24:15.519 But here's the thing Wes Huff, who's a far better explainer of Christianity than I am, if he came to your neighbor and gave all the good reasons why Christianity is real, why there's great historical evidence, why it's a better reality, because when you look at the other systems of the world, they are not as satisfactory as Christianity. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:20.799 It would not matter if the Holy Spirit had not changed their heart. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:27.680 Because the Bible tells us that if someone is not in line with Jesus, that they have not given their life to him, that they are spiritually dead. 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:28.240 And guess what? 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:30.559 You and I cannot raise the dead. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:33.920 Only He can. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.799 Only He can take the seed and produce life. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:47.359 And so some of us are breaking our necks, trying to convince, trying to convict, trying to convert people. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:52.319 And Jesus is actually inviting us to lay that burden at his feet. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:54.880 Go and have a nap. 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:59.519 Trusting that we have done what he has called us to. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.920 Faithfully plant a seed and trust him with the rest. 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:10.160 Are you tired today? 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:13.680 Because you've been planting seeds and you don't see the fruit? 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:22.799 Jesus is saying to you right now, trust me, I am the one who brings about the resurrection fruitfulness. 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:34.319 Have you been going through your neighborhood feeling like your presence is pointless, even though you've shared your faith, prayed for neighbors? 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.039 Be faithful. 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:43.279 Know that the seeds that you are planting, God is able to use to bring about fruit. 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:48.079 Shannon and I moved into our neighborhood in 2018. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:50.480 And like I said, we were gung-ho. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.960 We were like, we're gonna have neighborhood meals. 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:59.440 And we tried a lot of things, and you know, it didn't feel like it worked. 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:02.000 But we kept going. 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:03.599 We kept planting seeds. 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:07.119 A few years ago, I started prayer walking through our neighborhood. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:12.319 And honestly, like we didn't, we weren't able to force anything. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:16.000 Like we would invite people to come to our church gathering, and they'd be like, Yeah, that's cool. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.440 That's not our thing. 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:22.400 And yeah, I'll tell you today, our missional community has people in our neighborhood who are part of it. 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:24.880 People from our neighborhood are now coming to West Village. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:25.759 And guess what? 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.440 It wasn't because we did anything. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:28.319 We didn't convince them. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:33.680 We simply planted seeds, but God was at work in their hearts. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:39.440 I don't tell you that because we did anything special, because the whole reality is we didn't. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:41.920 We weren't even good at the things that we did do. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:49.680 All we did was faithfully plant seeds, continue to pray, continue to trust the one who grows the seeds into resurrection fruitfulness. 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:55.119 So if you are here and you have been doing this for years and years and years, like this, this was like eight years ago, guys. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:56.640 Eight years ago, we started this stuff. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:59.839 And this year, this year we're starting to see fruit. 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.519 Stay faithful. 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:05.839 Continue to plant seeds. 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:10.319 Do you wonder if your parenting efforts matter? 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:17.519 I bet you if you asked my mom when I was a teenager, how is Andrew gonna turn out? 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:19.279 She might have some questions. 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:22.480 Dina Clark was my Sunday school teacher in grade seven. 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:27.119 She kicked me out every single week because I was a bad kid. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:30.000 I was consistent. 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:32.960 And now she lets me talk to her on Sundays. 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:34.720 So that's pretty awesome. 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:42.640 The seeds that get planted in your lives of your kids and the lives of the kids that you're mentoring, you don't know how they're going to turn out. 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:44.319 You don't have control how they turn out. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:52.480 But Jesus is inviting you to continue to be faithful and plant those seeds, trusting that He is the one who can grow them into resurrection fruitfulness. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.640 Our job is faithfulness. 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:57.119 God's job is fruitfulness. 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:10.480 So if the second parable offers you freedom, a chance to lay down your burdens in trusting God, then the third one is a call to courage. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.200 Listen to what Jesus says in parable number three. 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:15.359 This is called the parable of the mustard seed. 00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:19.119 Again, he said, What shall we say the kingdom of God is like? 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:21.839 Or what parable shall we use to describe it? 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:26.000 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds in the earth. 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:33.599 Yet when planted it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:38.880 With many similar parables, Jesus spoke the word to them as much as they could understand. 00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:41.759 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:46.559 But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.440 So the first parable reminds us the kingdom is like a lamp that's going to be lit. 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:53.920 And Jesus tells us to invest deeply. 00:28:54.079 --> 00:29:00.880 The second parable reminds us that the kingdom is a seed that we have no control over, but will one day produce resurrection fruit. 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:04.799 And Jesus invites us to plant seeds and trust faithfully. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:08.640 The third parable he calls a mustard plant. 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:18.000 Now, I don't know if any of you have ever seen a mustard plant before, but from what I understand, a mustard plant is really a very unimpressive plant. 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:23.599 And I think Jesus is actually being a little bit ironic here by using this. 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:28.000 Because, again, we got to think about the context that he's speaking into. 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:33.599 These are a backwater-oppressed people who are looking around at the imperial power of Rome. 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:41.920 And when you think about something that's impressive, uh, to try and talk about what God's kingdom looks like, a mustard plant is not the thing. 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:44.960 It's a large garden plant. 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:47.440 It's actually a noxious weed. 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:55.839 And Jesus had both biblically and just experientially metaphors that were much more impressive. 00:29:56.079 --> 00:30:02.640 He lived right next to Lebanon, for which was uh this the country that was famous for their huge cedars. 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.880 Like we live in a beautiful place. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:07.759 Has anyone ever been to Cathedral Grove here? 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:15.440 Like you walk through that place and you see these majestic, towering, massive trees, and you think, man, that is beautiful. 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:16.640 That is cool. 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:18.480 That is powerful. 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:25.440 But Jesus doesn't call the kingdom of heaven a mighty cedar of Lebanon. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:31.359 Instead, the metaphor that he uses to describe it is a noxious garden plant. 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:35.440 How do you feel about being a noxious garden plant, Church? 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:40.079 Maybe for some of you are like, yeah, that feels about right. 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:43.920 Here's what Jesus is saying. 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:54.960 He's saying this small little tiny insignificant seed will grow into this rather unimpressive plant. 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:59.440 But it's a plant in which others will find a home. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:01.440 And here's the thing about this plant. 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:05.599 Pliny, uh, who's a Roman historian, he actually writes about this plant. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:11.039 And he says, you know, it's great because you get this, you know, flavorful herb from it, the mustard seed. 00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:19.039 But um, it's also really dangerous because when you put it in your garden, it's it's it rapidly expands. 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:20.079 It's a weed. 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.039 It will take over your garden if you aren't careful. 00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:26.880 And Jesus was very intentional about using this picture. 00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:29.759 Jesus understood how the mustard seed worked. 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:36.720 So this small little seed produces a plant which produces more seeds, which produce more plant. 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:43.519 And slowly but surely, this very unimpressive weed takes over everything. 00:31:47.440 --> 00:31:51.119 Doesn't that sound kind of like the Christian movement? 00:31:52.720 --> 00:32:02.480 Small little group of peasants follow an obscure teacher from Galilee who goes to the cross. 00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:15.519 And yet, within 350 years, that small little Galilean peasant and the movement that he started takes over the most powerful empire that the world had known to that day. 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:27.440 So much so that the Emperor Constantine looked around and said, It is more expedient for me to convert to Christianity than to continue an operation of pushing Christianity to the fringes. 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:29.440 And it was never an impressive movement. 00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:31.119 How did Christianity grow? 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:34.400 It grew among the slaves. 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:38.079 It grew among the people who were on the edges of society. 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:39.519