Mark 4:21-29, "Let it Shine, Let it Shine, Let it Shine!"

In Mark 4:21-29, Jesus begins by explaining about how when you bring in a lit lamp from outside, you don't stick it under a pan or a bed, for then what good would it be?  In the days before electric lights being wired into every room, people used oil lamps to light the house.  If you've ever rented an apartment and stayed in it before all your stuff arrived, then you should have the basic idea...it's dark in there.  So if you have a light outside, and you bring the light inside, the whole point of the light being inside is to light up the room so you can see.  Otherwise, you may well have just kept it outside (or turned off).

Jesus then said that nothing that's hidden won't be disclosed (in other words, anything that's secret will one day come to light).  Look for example, several unnamed sports stars and politicians who've been involved in adultery, or the sins of leaders.  What's a secret now will no longer be later, no matter how hard you try to keep it so.  "Let anyone who has the ability to hear, listen!  Pay attention to what you hear:  The measure you give = the measure you get, and still more to you.  For those who have, more will be given, and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away from them."

Understand that Jesus is not talking about possessions here, but understanding, accepting, and applying God's Word (this is all still in the context of the soils, talked about in my previous post).  If you accept God's Word (which is Christ), hold to it even in trials and such, then more faith will be given to you (or more grows...it becomes stronger).  The faith you put into Him will be rewarded with reasons to give praise, which in turn, gives you more faith.  Some examples may be what I like to call "God Experiences", where Jesus reveals Himself to me in ways that I cannot deny. They always bring me to my knees in excitement and praise, which also strengthens my faith in Him.  So as your faith is strengthened, it will get stronger.

But those who either reject or don't hold to God's Word, will fall away and lose even what little faith they have.  Let's look at the lamp for an example:  What's the point of bringing it into the house if you're not going to use it for what it's to be used for?  We already established this.  If you bring the lamp inside, the purpose is to light up the house.  If you take in God's Word (Jesus), the purpose is to light up the person.  Those of the good soil bring the "light" into their hearts and minds, and the "light" shines through them.  (Imagine a house lit up from the inside at night.  From the outside, you can see the light, too.  It's the same with those who accept God's Word, which is Jesus).

Light = God's Word

House = Person

Putting light under a pan or bed are means of hiding the light.  And if you put a pan over the light, the light will go out. (Try this with a candle.  light the candle, then stick a glass over it.  What happens?  (the light goes out).  And it's the same way if you accept God's Word, but don't apply it, or don't keep to it in times of trial, throughout your lives, ALWAYS.

---Pastor Andy