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<v Dr Mark Turman>Good morning.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Great to see you.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you wanna follow along today.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Uh, we're looking at Mark chapter four.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Once upon a time, Jesus told a story.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Here's what he said.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>A large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat on the sea, what we would call a lake, and he sat down while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He taught them many things in parables and in his teaching he said.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Is a lamp brought in and put under a basket or under a bed, isn't it put on a lampstand for There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And he said to them, pay attention to what you hear by the measure.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Measure you use.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It will be measured to you and more will be added to you.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>For whoever has more will be given to him, and whoever does not have even what he has, will be taken away from him.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The kingdom of God is like this.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He said A man scatters a seed on the ground.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He sleeps and rises night and day, the seed sprouts and grows.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Although he doesn't understand or know how the soil produces a crop by itself, first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>As soon as the crop is ready, he sins for the sickle because the harvest has come.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And he said, with what can we compare the kingdom of God?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What or what parable can we use to describe it?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's like a mustard seed that when sown upon the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground and when sewn, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Produces large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He was speaking the word to them with many parables like these as they were able to understand.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He did not speak to them without a parable privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples once upon a time, you know that little phrase.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Has been with us for about 300 years.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Once upon a time, came to us through a French writer who gave us the stories like Cinderella and Snow White, however you actually find echoes of that phrase going back another 1400 years in various phrases, phrases and words in storytelling.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I've been caught up with the idea of storytelling this week because of the movie I recommended to you that Sheila put in the newsletter and talking to a director.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus loved to tell stories and he loves to tell his story to us so that hopefully we can tell that story to others.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you got to listen to my podcast.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Thank you for Mike calling that out.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Uh, it's been a new world for me the last four years to move from not only pulpit to podcasting and there are way too many podcasts in the world, just like there may be too many preachers in the world.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Okay?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Uh, but one of the great things about, uh, being a part of Denon Ministries, the last four or five years are the people like you, uh, and many people around the world that I've gotten to meet, and I love a good conversation.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I've learned so much and been discipled in so many ways simply by having a talk with somebody, oftentimes over a meal, to things I like to do as well.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Eat well and talk well, and that's been one of the funnest things about podcasting is that because of technology and because of this way of learning, I've been able to talk to people literally around the world.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I was talking.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Just 10 days ago to two guys in Tokyo about how they are leading efforts to plant churches in a nation Japan, that is the second most un-Christian nation in the world, and had a wonderful conversation.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus loved to tell stories and he loved to have conversations.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you listen to this episode with Andy Irwin, the director of, I Can Only Imagine two, the new movie.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He, he said, this stories change us and changed people, change the world.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus told stories once upon a time by a lake and stories are captured here by Mark probably listening to the recounting of the apostle Peter of some of the stories that Jesus told.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Stories that were intended to inspire faith to draw faith.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Toward him and toward the kingdom of his father.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What is this kingdom like that we've been singing about this morning and that we say that we're looking forward to?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What is this kingdom like?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Well, it has three characteristics I wanna point out to you this morning.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>As I understand these stories, it's a kingdom of clarity.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a kingdom of creativity, and it is an incredible kingdom of capacity.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Let's think about those three ideas for a few minutes this morning while we're together, this kingdom that Jesus is talking about and his kingship over it is a kingdom of clarity.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus says, what do you do with a lamp?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Obviously in his day, it wouldn't have been like these lamps.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It would've been a candle or a lantern of some kind, fueled by oil, he says, you don't bring a light into a room and.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Put it under a basket or hide it under the bed.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>No, you bring the light in to illuminate the room, to show the way, to give safe progress and to understand direction.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Now I gotta just stop right here and tell you.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus was not thinking apparently of the modern time that we live in because after a couple of stumbles at night, I actually have light under my bed now.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>You can buy these little$12 nightlights that are motion detectors, and I put three of them around the bed because I needed to be able to see the dog who can no longer hear me because well, there's been some stumbles.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Let's just call them that.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And if you came to my house now, you'd find out that there are motion detector nightlights all through my house.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So maybe Jesus wasn't exactly talking about my house, but you get the point.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you lie to Lanner lantern or a candle, you put it in a place where it can dispel the light, but Jesus takes it further than just making it safe to walk through a dark room with this lantern or exposure.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus takes it further and kind of really starts to get into our business.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>When he says.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>That the light exposes, it reveals.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He says that there's coming a time where everything will be brought out into the light.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Can I just take a step aside right here and just tell you, that is one of the most important guidance statements that Jesus ever made.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If there's stuff going on in our lives that we want to keep hidden.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a caution to us.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It needs to be something that causes us to pause, to think and to pray.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Because after pastoring people for 40 years, I have found that the things that we're trying to hide are not always, but they are often things that we're not ready to surrender to God.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What I found is, is that God wants to bring us into kind of a spiritual operating room, and he wants to bring all, all that's going on in our life under the bright light of his love and of his truth, and he wants us to deal with it in his presence and in His grace and in his power.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>That's why the writer of Hebrews said this, no creature.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>No creature is hidden from him, but all things are open and exposed to the eyes of him.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>That is God.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>To whom we must give an account.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>There's only one kingdom ultimately, and there is only one king, and this king will and does know all things.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>As Jesus said, he will ultimately bring either reward or punishment penalty in the absolute just way.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So Jesus says He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If we were living in the 1970s and traveling down the highway with our CB radio, that would be a way of saying, do you have your ears on?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you don't know what a CB radio is.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>You don't know what a CB handle is.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Well talk to somebody my age or older.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Okay.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Do you have your ears on?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Because you see the light that he's talking about is not just something that you see to walk by.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's what we mean when we say phrases like, oh, the light came on, or I saw the light.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a statement of revelation, of comprehension, of understanding.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus says that that's what his kingdom is about.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's about bringing light to all things.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's about bringing clarity to that which seems foggy to us, that which we long to grasp, but struggle to grasp.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And so Jesus challenges us.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Be careful.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Be careful what you listen to.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Are you catching the mixture of metaphor here?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He started talking about your eyes.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Now he's talking about your ears.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He says, that light illuminates our eyes.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It illuminates our vision, but our hearing has a way of illuminating our soul.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So be very careful.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus says, to what you listen to because there are voices all around us and they're not all seeking our good.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And one of the best ways that he does that is through deception, by whispering lies and half-truths into our ears, and ultimately into our soul if we're not careful.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So who's your source of truth?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Who is your source of reality?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Who are you seeking to bring clarity into your life about?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>All things about anything.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus told stories to bring light, to bring understanding, to bring clarity about the kingdom of God.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>But listen to how this folds into this chapter.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you have a few minutes today, I hope you'll take time to just read the whole chapter because you notice how it began.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It said in chapter, uh, chapter four, verse one.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus began to teach them by the seed and a very large crowd gathered around him.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Wow, what a sight.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He got into a boat on the sea, sat down, and the whole crowd was on the, uh, was by the sea on the shore, and he taught them many things in parables in his teaching, used stories.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>At the end of this section, it says that he was speaking the word to them in many parables, many stories as they were able to understand Jesus could read the room.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He did not speak to them without a parable, and privately he would explain everything.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>But if you go back into the early part of the chapter, it also says this, Jesus told the first story about a seed.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>We didn't read that part.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>You can read that for yourself.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>But when he told that story, his followers were confused.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So verse 10 of the chapter says this, when he was alone, those around him with the 12, ask him about the parables, about the stories.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And so he said, the secret, listen, the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>But to those outside, everything comes in parables.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So that they may indeed look and yet not perceive.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>They may indeed listen, but not understand.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Otherwise they might turn back and be forgiven.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I gotta tell you, when I read those verses, I am completely confused in some ways.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Is Jesus trying to get me to believe or not help me believe is it?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Is it that he told these stories so that I could better grasp the kingdom of God and the king who rules that kingdom?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Seems like that's what he's doing because he told these stories and he then explained the stories.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Then verse 10 and following, sounds like the story is intended to keep you from being able to understand.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>So which is it?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What if it's both?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>What if the key that unlocks every story that Jesus tells is your faith and mine, our willingness to believe it, our openness to trusting the king who leads the kingdom.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus says, if you'll humble yourself in faith, if you'll ask for the clarity and the light that only he can bring, then things will start to illuminate.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>That's why the great CS Lewis said this.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sun, that the sun has risen.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The key that unlocks the story, all stories of Jesus is hu, humility and faith.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The second story that Jesus told here in this collection is a story of mysterious creativity.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Verse 26, just this little interesting story about seed.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus seemed to be intrigued by farming.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I've got three hobbies and one of them is actually, two of them are about to become very, very important.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>One of my hobbies is on the golf course.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love golf courses and I love to play golf.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The reason that I love to play golf is because I think it's the perfect partnership between God and human beings, that you have these beautiful fairways and trees and sand traps and water, and you get to play a really great game.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>If you're not a golfer, don't worry.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>By the time you get to heaven, you will become one.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Okay.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love to play golf.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love coming to the lake.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love being on the water.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I'm glad that Mike is predicting that it will be warm enough in a month for us to be on the water.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love being on the water, but my third hobby is in my backyard.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I love to landscape.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Matter of fact, AI and I are working together to completely redesign my backyard this spring.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I intend to take an entire week off about a month from now to plant.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>'cause I love to watch how God grows things.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus seemed to have that same kind of a love, and when he is teaching us about his kingdom, he's telling us that the kingdom is not only a place, it's not only a destination, it's a perspective.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a way of thinking.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a way of believing.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a way of living, and it is also a process that God is overseeing.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>And so Jesus says, says this story, the kingdom of God is like this.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>A man scatters seed on the ground.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>He sleeps and rises night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn't know how.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I want you to underline that phrase in your mind or in your Bible.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The farmer doesn't know how.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The soil produces a crop by itself.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>First, the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head, and as soon as the crop is ready, he sins for the sickle because the harvest has come.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Seeds are amazing, miracles of God.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I did a little bit of research with AI's help.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Did you know that the largest seed in the world is the Coco, Deir, or seed?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It's found on a remote Pacific Island, it can weigh anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Now, compare that to orchid seeds.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Orchid seeds in one single pod can have as many as 3 million seeds.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>They call them orchid dust because they're so small, you have to have a microscope to see them.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>You ever heard of the of the Koc tree?

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The Koc tree grows, I believe in South America.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>The koc tree has a fiber in its seed.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>That used to be the stuff that they would put in pillows or blankets or get this.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>It used to be the original component of a life jacket.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Because it had buoyancy and until we created modern fibers, we would pull the fibers out of the Koch seed and use it for a life jacket.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>I learned this this week.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Some seeds are incredibly dangerous.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>My mother, when I was a kid, used to at times give me castor oil.

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<v Dr Mark Turman>Anybody ever had that experience?

00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:16.079
<v Dr Mark Turman>One of the worst experiences of all childhood.

00:18:17.924 --> 00:18:27.555
<v Dr Mark Turman>Do you know that if you actually ingested just one, maybe two castor oil seeds, you would expire very quickly.

00:18:28.724 --> 00:18:30.375
<v Dr Mark Turman>Some seeds are really dangerous.

00:18:31.244 --> 00:18:32.355
<v Dr Mark Turman>I found this interesting.

00:18:32.355 --> 00:18:35.085
<v Dr Mark Turman>Most oak trees live oak trees.

00:18:35.115 --> 00:18:39.884
<v Dr Mark Turman>Most oak trees do not put produce acorns until the tree is 50 years old.

00:18:41.684 --> 00:18:51.825
<v Dr Mark Turman>Being the age I am now, I thought, well, that has something to say about the value of maturity and productivity together, but seeds are living organisms.

00:18:52.035 --> 00:19:07.125
<v Dr Mark Turman>Do you know that sometimes seeds can sit dormant for as much as 2000, perhaps even 10,000 years and still produce life and perhaps the most interesting spiritual insight.

00:19:08.414 --> 00:19:11.505
<v Dr Mark Turman>Is that seeds always know direction.

00:19:12.525 --> 00:19:24.585
<v Dr Mark Turman>God has put into them the ability, no matter how you put them in the soil, the seed will know that the roots are supposed to grow down and the sprout is supposed supposed to grow up.

00:19:25.724 --> 00:19:26.954
<v Dr Mark Turman>Last word about seeds.

00:19:28.424 --> 00:19:32.355
<v Dr Mark Turman>Seeds, some of them have to be scarred.

00:19:33.674 --> 00:19:37.424
<v Dr Mark Turman>In order for the life in them to come out, they have to be wounded.

00:19:38.414 --> 00:19:41.204
<v Dr Mark Turman>Sometimes they get wounded by the soil that they're in.

00:19:41.204 --> 00:19:45.704
<v Dr Mark Turman>Sometimes they get wounded by spending some time in the gizzard of a bird.

00:19:45.825 --> 00:19:48.375
<v Dr Mark Turman>Sometimes they get wounded by a forest fire.

00:19:48.375 --> 00:19:55.964
<v Dr Mark Turman>Sometimes they get wounded by a freeze, but some of those seeds will not open up until they have actually been wounded.

00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:02.819
<v Dr Mark Turman>It is the wound of the environment that sets forward the life that has been placed in them.

00:20:04.589 --> 00:20:06.720
<v Dr Mark Turman>But I love what Jesus says here about the farmer.

00:20:08.099 --> 00:20:09.269
<v Dr Mark Turman>He does very little.

00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:11.849
<v Dr Mark Turman>He is.

00:20:12.375 --> 00:20:17.775
<v Dr Mark Turman>Educated enough to know that there is something powerful, something alive in this seed.

00:20:17.775 --> 00:20:19.454
<v Dr Mark Turman>He scatters them on the ground.

00:20:19.634 --> 00:20:23.325
<v Dr Mark Turman>Oh, by the way, he didn't have a John Deere or a Kubota tractor in their day.

00:20:23.325 --> 00:20:29.775
<v Dr Mark Turman>They just threw the seeds out into the ground and let the seed make its way into the soil.

00:20:29.775 --> 00:20:33.194
<v Dr Mark Turman>That was the common way of sowing in Jesus' day.

00:20:35.055 --> 00:20:36.795
<v Dr Mark Turman>But notice what he says about the farmer.

00:20:37.724 --> 00:20:41.744
<v Dr Mark Turman>He sows the seed, goes to bed, he rises.

00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:43.920
<v Dr Mark Turman>Works goes back to sleep.

00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:47.220
<v Dr Mark Turman>He does very little and all by itself.

00:20:47.220 --> 00:21:10.710
<v Dr Mark Turman>The seed makes it into the ground, it opens up, it begins to sprout, it comes out of the ground, and before long it is produced an entire crop, and the farmer goes and gets his sickle, his enormous inherent creativity in this kingdom that is the kingdom of God.

00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:34.230
<v Dr Mark Turman>There's enormous complexity in this kingdom, and what I'm comforted in when I think about that is that God is up to stuff that I can't grasp, and if I am determined that I am only going to believe in that, which I can understand, then my world is going to be really small.

00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:39.240
<v Dr Mark Turman>We pursue simplicity so much.

00:21:40.650 --> 00:21:55.079
<v Dr Mark Turman>When we need to get comfortable with the level of complexity that points us back to the reality of God, that there is a majesty in the world around us that we need to stand in awe of.

00:21:56.069 --> 00:21:58.500
<v Dr Mark Turman>That's why it can be helpful to read the psalmist.

00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:05.970
<v Dr Mark Turman>Psalm one 11 is a great 11, a great example, but you'll find flavors of this all through the 150 Psalm.

00:22:05.970 --> 00:22:08.309
<v Dr Mark Turman>Psalm one 11 says this, hallelujah.

00:22:09.210 --> 00:22:11.970
<v Dr Mark Turman>I will praise the Lord with all of my heart.

00:22:12.029 --> 00:22:15.779
<v Dr Mark Turman>In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation he says.

00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:20.490
<v Dr Mark Turman>The Lord's works are great, studied by all who delight in them.

00:22:20.609 --> 00:22:24.599
<v Dr Mark Turman>All that he does is splendid and majestic.

00:22:24.630 --> 00:22:27.480
<v Dr Mark Turman>His righteousness endures forever.

00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:31.049
<v Dr Mark Turman>He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.

00:22:31.170 --> 00:22:33.390
<v Dr Mark Turman>The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

00:22:33.569 --> 00:22:36.180
<v Dr Mark Turman>He has provided food for those who fear him.

00:22:36.269 --> 00:22:38.400
<v Dr Mark Turman>He remembers his covenant forever.

00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:45.630
<v Dr Mark Turman>He has shown his people the power of his works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.

00:22:45.944 --> 00:22:49.484
<v Dr Mark Turman>The works of his hands are truth and justice.

00:22:49.694 --> 00:22:52.065
<v Dr Mark Turman>All his instructions are trustworthy.

00:22:52.184 --> 00:22:56.894
<v Dr Mark Turman>They are established forever and ever enacted in truth and uprightness.

00:22:56.954 --> 00:22:59.505
<v Dr Mark Turman>He has sent redemption to his people.

00:22:59.565 --> 00:23:01.904
<v Dr Mark Turman>He has ordained his covenant forever.

00:23:01.964 --> 00:23:05.444
<v Dr Mark Turman>His name is holy and awe inspiring.

00:23:05.595 --> 00:23:07.125
<v Dr Mark Turman>The fear of the Lord.

00:23:07.484 --> 00:23:09.255
<v Dr Mark Turman>Is the beginning of wisdom.

00:23:09.434 --> 00:23:13.394
<v Dr Mark Turman>All who follow his instruction have good insight.

00:23:13.454 --> 00:23:17.174
<v Dr Mark Turman>His praise endures forever.

00:23:19.214 --> 00:23:37.065
<v Dr Mark Turman>This kingdom, remember, this kingdom is so vast, so beautiful, so incredibly complex and awesome that we will spend eternity discovering and appreciating it.

00:23:38.595 --> 00:23:40.214
<v Dr Mark Turman>You think you're gonna be bored in heaven?

00:23:41.805 --> 00:23:42.734
<v Dr Mark Turman>I don't think so.

00:23:44.055 --> 00:24:01.154
<v Dr Mark Turman>That also gives me comfort from the standpoint that God says in Philippians one, six, that whatever he begins in us, he has promised to finish whatever seems weird, complex, dense, beyond our understanding.

00:24:02.414 --> 00:24:05.744
<v Dr Mark Turman>God's got a process and we're a small part of it.

00:24:07.305 --> 00:24:08.654
<v Dr Mark Turman>He's gonna see it to the end.

00:24:09.704 --> 00:24:11.924
<v Dr Mark Turman>It's a kingdom of amazing creativity.

00:24:12.164 --> 00:24:15.644
<v Dr Mark Turman>It's lastly a kingdom of astounding capacity.

00:24:16.454 --> 00:24:25.035
<v Dr Mark Turman>Those guys that I talked to in Tokyo, they're leading an organization, a mission organization, church planting ministry called the Mustard Seed Network.

00:24:26.055 --> 00:24:34.154
<v Dr Mark Turman>They have planted churches in every major city across Japan in a country.

00:24:34.904 --> 00:24:40.005
<v Dr Mark Turman>95% of the people have probably never even heard the name Jesus before.

00:24:40.964 --> 00:24:45.795
<v Dr Mark Turman>They are planting seeds, the seeds of the gospel, story of Jesus.

00:24:46.634 --> 00:24:58.275
<v Dr Mark Turman>It's kind of strange when you read verse 30, it says, and Jesus said, with what can we compare the kingdom of God or what parable story can we use to describe it?

00:24:58.424 --> 00:25:02.444
<v Dr Mark Turman>It's almost like Jesus is looking around with all these people on the shore and he's like.

00:25:03.194 --> 00:25:05.144
<v Dr Mark Turman>How can I explain this to you?

00:25:06.944 --> 00:25:18.765
<v Dr Mark Turman>He said, well, it's, it's like those little tiny mustard seeds that you'll find still producing plants on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Galilee.

00:25:19.484 --> 00:25:24.914
<v Dr Mark Turman>Those little tiny seeds that in their understanding of things at the time were the smallest of seeds.

00:25:25.184 --> 00:25:32.204
<v Dr Mark Turman>But over time, planted in the ground would produce the largest thing in their landscapes, in their gardens.

00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:37.980
<v Dr Mark Turman>So large of a plant that the large birds would come and nest in them.

00:25:38.700 --> 00:25:50.730
<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus said The kingdom of God is like that, kind of like those orchid dust seeds that out of the smallness comes bigness.

00:25:51.750 --> 00:25:54.359
<v Dr Mark Turman>What store to use Jesus is.

00:25:55.244 --> 00:26:02.505
<v Dr Mark Turman>It's almost like a, a jeweler who took a diamond and keeps turning the diamond, because every time you turn the diamond, you see something different.

00:26:02.505 --> 00:26:06.585
<v Dr Mark Turman>You see something more beautiful, so you see a different prism that comes alive.

00:26:07.305 --> 00:26:09.015
<v Dr Mark Turman>And the point of the story is clear.

00:26:10.484 --> 00:26:19.365
<v Dr Mark Turman>Even what appears small and insignificant can hold the greatest, incredible story of life.

00:26:19.964 --> 00:26:22.365
<v Dr Mark Turman>This kingdom has astounding capacity.

00:26:24.900 --> 00:26:27.480
<v Dr Mark Turman>Have you noticed that God likes to sneak up on you?

00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:33.480
<v Dr Mark Turman>Sometimes He sneaks up on you through very small things.

00:26:34.289 --> 00:26:41.250
<v Dr Mark Turman>That's why the prophet Zacharia was told in his day, do not despise the day of small things.

00:26:42.119 --> 00:26:45.329
<v Dr Mark Turman>Even the writer of Proverbs picks up on this theme.

00:26:45.990 --> 00:26:49.529
<v Dr Mark Turman>The writer of Proverbs says that there are three or four things.

00:26:50.295 --> 00:26:55.035
<v Dr Mark Turman>Are small and inconsequential, but should be paid attention to.

00:26:55.904 --> 00:27:02.984
<v Dr Mark Turman>He says in verse 24 or verse 30, or chapter 30 of Proverbs four, things on the earth are small, yet they are extremely wise.

00:27:03.494 --> 00:27:07.515
<v Dr Mark Turman>Ants are not strong people yet they store up their food in the summer.

00:27:07.634 --> 00:27:12.224
<v Dr Mark Turman>A high rack is not a mighty people yet their homes are in the cliffs.

00:27:12.224 --> 00:27:16.815
<v Dr Mark Turman>Locusts have no king, and yet they all march in ranks.

00:27:17.295 --> 00:27:18.900
<v Dr Mark Turman>A lizard can be caught with your hands.

00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:22.289
<v Dr Mark Turman>It lives in the King's palace.

00:27:23.009 --> 00:27:28.799
<v Dr Mark Turman>God has a way of showing us the way, even through very small things.

00:27:30.384 --> 00:27:33.359
<v Dr Mark Turman>A few years ago, I was in school, down the road here in Brownwood.

00:27:34.230 --> 00:27:43.440
<v Dr Mark Turman>Went to one of my very first Bible classes, and the teacher assigned us a Bible text that he wanted us to study and learn and come to teach.

00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:50.579
<v Dr Mark Turman>I was assigned a passage that I was pretty unfamiliar with out of the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 53.

00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:56.400
<v Dr Mark Turman>The whole passage is intended to be a prophecy telling us about Jesus and his kingdom.

00:27:57.390 --> 00:28:06.839
<v Dr Mark Turman>Part of that prophecy is this, who has believed what we have heard, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:08.819
<v Dr Mark Turman>He grew up that is the Messiah.

00:28:08.970 --> 00:28:10.950
<v Dr Mark Turman>He grew up like a young plant.

00:28:11.325 --> 00:28:13.964
<v Dr Mark Turman>And like a root out of dry ground.

00:28:14.684 --> 00:28:18.434
<v Dr Mark Turman>He didn't have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him.

00:28:18.825 --> 00:28:21.765
<v Dr Mark Turman>No appearance that we should desire him.

00:28:22.154 --> 00:28:28.035
<v Dr Mark Turman>He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

00:28:28.424 --> 00:28:31.694
<v Dr Mark Turman>He was like someone people turn away from.

00:28:32.444 --> 00:28:39.825
<v Dr Mark Turman>He was despised and we didn't value him yet he himself bore our sickness and carried our pains.

00:28:40.575 --> 00:28:49.305
<v Dr Mark Turman>In our, but we in turn regarded him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our rebellion.

00:28:49.305 --> 00:28:56.025
<v Dr Mark Turman>He was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment of our peace was on him.

00:28:57.615 --> 00:29:09.615
<v Dr Mark Turman>Jesus seemed like an inconsequential reality in his day, but in him is the light of all life.

00:29:10.335 --> 00:29:13.035
<v Dr Mark Turman>The seed of eternity itself.

00:29:14.535 --> 00:29:17.835
<v Dr Mark Turman>When he was born in a stable, it was just like any birth of his day.

00:29:19.515 --> 00:29:25.724
<v Dr Mark Turman>When Jesus taught, many of the things he said to many of the people, seemed not that impressive.

00:29:26.835 --> 00:29:30.914
<v Dr Mark Turman>And when he died, he died like many other criminals who were abused by Rome.

00:29:32.444 --> 00:29:37.664
<v Dr Mark Turman>But it is outta the seed of his life that all life comes.

00:29:39.150 --> 00:30:00.450
<v Dr Mark Turman>There's enormous capacity in this kingdom and in this king, and if you read the rest of this chapter in March, chapter four, it will not surprise you to find that one of Jesus's most impressive miracles finishes the chapter because when Jesus finishes teaching these stories, he says to his friends, okay guys, let's go.

00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:04.950
<v Dr Mark Turman>They get in a boat and they head out to the Sea of Galilee.

00:30:06.345 --> 00:30:11.984
<v Dr Mark Turman>In the middle of that trip, the storm comes and the winds rage, and the winds blow.

00:30:12.045 --> 00:30:21.734
<v Dr Mark Turman>And the men who are experienced on this water are terrified and they wake up Jesus, who's in the back of the boat and say, don't you care?

00:30:23.954 --> 00:30:25.424
<v Dr Mark Turman>Death came calling again.

00:30:26.144 --> 00:30:30.255
<v Dr Mark Turman>In my experience this week, one of my closest friends.

00:30:31.829 --> 00:30:37.275
<v Dr Mark Turman>I got a call on Sunday afternoon that her father was about to pass in Arkansas and she lives in Chicago.

00:30:38.805 --> 00:30:46.394
<v Dr Mark Turman>She booked a plane, tried to get there as fast as she could, but while she was waiting to get on that airplane, the call came that her dad was gone.

00:30:48.404 --> 00:30:50.115
<v Dr Mark Turman>We walked a little bit together through that.

00:30:52.484 --> 00:30:59.055
<v Dr Mark Turman>Two days ago, I got a message from a friend, old friend in my church in McKinney that her mom.

00:30:59.714 --> 00:31:00.674
<v Dr Mark Turman>Mary, Ms.

00:31:00.674 --> 00:31:20.805
<v Dr Mark Turman>Mary Marelli was looking to be in her last hours, and so we were making a plan that on Friday I would go by and spend a few minutes with the 97-year-old Mary Marelli, who was the most fabulous Italian cook I have ever met.

00:31:22.664 --> 00:31:25.875
<v Dr Mark Turman>Matter of fact, when Mary and Lou moved from Chicago to McKinney.

00:31:26.954 --> 00:31:33.105
<v Dr Mark Turman>People found out about how well she cooked and the grocery store Market Street from Lubbock.

00:31:33.105 --> 00:31:37.605
<v Dr Mark Turman>They hired Mary to share her recipes in the front of the store.

00:31:39.825 --> 00:31:43.605
<v Dr Mark Turman>This woman and her husband were first generation Italian Americans.

00:31:43.605 --> 00:31:55.515
<v Dr Mark Turman>Their parents had come over from Italy and brought eventually over time multiple families of their extended family into Chicago.

00:31:57.089 --> 00:32:01.980
<v Dr Mark Turman>They became two of the most wonderful people that I had the privilege of being the pastor for.

00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:05.009
<v Dr Mark Turman>They loved Judy and I.

00:32:05.009 --> 00:32:14.339
<v Dr Mark Turman>They cared for Judy and I, and they became an embodiment of the story that I've been trying to describe to you.

00:32:16.410 --> 00:32:22.200
<v Dr Mark Turman>And because of their story, what I can tell you is this, Ms.

00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:24.539
<v Dr Mark Turman>Mary is now living happily.

00:32:25.049 --> 00:32:27.660
<v Dr Mark Turman>Ever after, and so can you.

00:32:28.829 --> 00:32:29.579
<v Dr Mark Turman>Let's pray together.

00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:33.240
<v Dr Mark Turman>Father, thank you for loving us the way you do.

00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:38.910
<v Dr Mark Turman>Thank you through Jesus and the spirit that you continue to teach us.

00:32:39.750 --> 00:32:48.720
<v Dr Mark Turman>God, help us not to look past the small things that you may be trying to put into the soil of our soul even today.

00:32:51.569 --> 00:32:52.140
<v Dr Mark Turman>Lord, you.

00:32:53.055 --> 00:33:02.954
<v Dr Mark Turman>You are doing an amazing thing in this world, in the coming of this kingdom that you told us to pray for.

00:33:04.694 --> 00:33:17.595
<v Dr Mark Turman>Lord, you are doing more than we could ever ask or imagine, and you're gonna just continue to work that and unfold that according to your grace and goodness.

00:33:18.105 --> 00:33:22.214
<v Dr Mark Turman>Lord, help us every day to seek you.

00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:39.000
<v Dr Mark Turman>And to walk with you, to trust you, and to allow you to bring the fullness of life and beauty that you have implanted in us in the gospel to bring it to its full harvest.

00:33:40.049 --> 00:33:41.339
<v Dr Mark Turman>In Jesus' name we pray.

00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:41.460
<v Dr Mark Turman>Amen.

00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:42.480
<v Dr Mark Turman>Amen.