Have you heard someone say, oh, I wish I had bought Bitcoin. Have you ever heard somebody say that? I've heard some people say that. And what they mean is that a Bitcoin back in the day, in July of 2010, you could have bought Bitcoin for 10 cents. Now that same Bitcoin would be worth $107,361. That's a pretty good return on investment, wouldn’t you say? Right? So that's why some people are like, oh, I wish I had bought that. And I'm hearing about Bitcoin; it sounds like a scam to me. I don't know what this is. Well, apparently it's now worth a whole lot of money. How about not just investing? How about real estate? Do you know that in the 1960s, when they first built the houses in Huntington Beach, you could have got a house for $18,500. How does that sound to anybody right now? Or how about, in the 1980s, you could have got a house in Huntington Beach for roughly $110,000. Well, I guess, according to some things that I’ve read, the recent real estate market for Huntington Beach in the month of June 2025, the median housing price is $1.3 million in this city. Right around here, would have been pretty nice if you bought it for 18,500, right? It's not just even in investments or in real estate. It can be in trivial, silly things like Pokemon cards. Have you heard about these things? These things are going crazy. Back in 1999 you spent $4 on a pack of Pokemon cards. You get this Charizard card right here if you somehow kept that thing in good condition. Sotheby's, last year, they had an auction where a pristine condition Charizard card went for over 450,000 real dollars. This isn't the world you live in. This is real stuff. Okay? It's like, wow, you get this thing, and then over time, the return on investment you can get is mind blowing. What if I was here today to tell you I know the next sure thing, and if you give towards this, if you invest in this, your return on investment will blow your mind. What if it wasn't even me telling you I know the next sure thing? What if Jesus told you he knew the next sure thing and that you should go all in on what Jesus tells you to invest in.
Grab your Bible and turn with me to Mark, chapter 4, verses 21 to 34, and we're going to have Jesus teach us together right now, and he's going to tell us what he thinks if you want more to be added to you, if you want more to be given to you, then here's what you need to give yourself to now, and wait till you see the investment later. So, I'm going to read Mark 4:21-34, and out of respect for God's Word, I invite everybody here to stand for the public reading of Scripture, and I would encourage you to give this your full and undivided attention. This is the actual teaching of Jesus, meant to tell you the future so you don't waste your life, but you invest it in a way where you will receive a return. Please follow along as I read, starting in Mark 4:21.
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
That's the reading of God's Word. Please go ahead, grab your seat. In your bulletin, there is a handout there, if you want to take some notes, all the Scripture is there, if you want to circle things or underline. And we're in this teaching of Jesus, and he's using parables here, and he's keeps bringing up this idea through these parables of “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” So, if you are taking notes, circle that, underline that in verse 23. Now, I just want to take you back to what we were already learning in Mark 4, because that was a major point of emphasis. Jesus is calling people to hear him. But it's like Jesus knows people aren't really listening to him. There's a lot of popularity surrounding Jesus. At this time in Mark's gospel, major crowds are coming and hearing him teach. But Jesus, now he understands that the people are caught up in the healings, the people are caught up in the hype, and they're not really there to hear who Jesus is and to listen to what he's saying. In fact, Jesus is starting to experience real opposition, real rejection, even from his own family, definitely from the religious leaders. So here in chapter 4, he starts to speak in parables. He tells stories that are going over the heads of many people who aren't really there to hear it. But then, to the disciples he explains it because they're really listening. And so, Jesus is really giving us this idea of, I'm speaking, I'm giving truth, I'm teaching. But who's really even hearing me? Are you really even hearing me? And he keeps bringing this up intentionally.
In fact, where we left off last time we were in Mark, look back at verse 20. Maybe you remember the parable of the sower who's throwing out his seed, and the seed of the Word of God falls on different kinds of soil. Well, the good soil is here in verse 20, and those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the Word and accept it. They receive it into their hearts, and it bears fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and hundredfold. So, Jesus is saying, hey, I'm out here spreading the Word, and Satan is snatching it away from some people. Some people, they hear it, but it doesn't really take root. It's rocky ground. Other people, they hear it, but something else chokes it away. But then there are some people, when they hear it, oh, they receive it, they accept it.
So, let's get that down for our Review. If you are taking notes, where we left off is “Hear the Word and take it to heart.” That's the people that Jesus is looking for, the people who, when Jesus says something, when he teaches them something, they're his disciples. They're his learners. They're not living based on what they think. They're not living based on what somebody else said. But when Jesus says it, that's what I'm living for. Jesus is my teacher. I'm following him. And so, Jesus, he wants to say, do you have ears to really hear me? Can you really receive what I'm saying? In fact, look at what he says in verse 24. He makes two different statements, one in verse 21 and then another statement in verse 24, and before he even gives us the statement, he says, pay attention to what you hear. Like even those of you who do have the ears to hear, are you really looking at what I'm saying? If you were to translate it literally from the Greek, it's like, see what you hear, or be seeing what you are hearing in an active sense. Like, don't even assume I've already heard this. I already know that. I've already listened to this. No, look at what I'm saying. Can you really see what I'm saying? Are the words that I'm teaching you going to change your mind and become the way that you pay attention to me. So, you’ve got to hear the way that Jesus is talking here. It is very profound. He's saying things that go over most people's heads. And there's a real danger that the teaching of Jesus will go right over your head today if you don't really hear it, if you don't really take it to heart. Now, specifically, when he gives these parables, what he's emphasizing is the kingdom of God.
Go back to chapter 4, verse 11, as he gave the first parable of the sower. He then said this to the disciples. This is Mark 4:11. “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.” So, the point of the parables is to reveal to us something that can't be seen, which is this kingdom of God that is coming. In fact, the kingdom of God is something you can be a part of even now. Go back to chapter 1, verse 15, and so in the Gospel of Mark, we don't get a lot of the content of Jesus’ teaching. Mark tells us a lot about what happens, but he doesn't really give us a lot of what Jesus says. Well, we’ve got a summary statement here in Mark 1:15. A summary of the teaching of Jesus goes like this, that he's proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” Hey, we've got good news of great joy for all people. There has been born a savior. He's the Christ. He's the Lord. His name is Jesus, and Jesus came to die on the cross to save you from your sins. Jesus rose from the dead to give you a new and eternal life. And if you'll change your mind about your life and turn to Jesus, if you'll transfer your trust to Jesus, wow, he can do this amazing new work in you. And the reason that you should repent and believe in this Good News of Jesus, the kingdom is at hand. So, every time Mark gives us the teaching of Jesus so far, at least in chapter 4, the emphasis is on the kingdom. The kingdom is the reason you should repent and believe in the gospel.
The secret of the kingdom is now being revealed in these parables. So, go back now to Mark 4. And when you look at our passage here, you get a statement in verse 21 about the kingdom, a statement in verse 24 about the kingdom, and then you get two parables or pictures about the kingdom. And you can see that in verse 26 the kingdom of God is as if and it goes on from there. And then look at verse 30, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?” So, how can I give you a picture that would help you understand things about the kingdom of God? That's the kind of teaching that Jesus is giving here.
So, we're going to see now from the two statements and the two pictures, we're going to get four points about the kingdom of God that is coming. And look at the first picture in verse 21, “he said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket.’” What's the answer to that, everybody? No, you don't buy a lamp and then hide it under your bed. Okay? And literally, you could write down, if you're taking notes, the lamp, in our English translation, if you get into the Greek, there's a definite article. It says “the lamp.” So, when we hear about the lamp and let it shine, “This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.” We might think of Matthew, chapter 5, where it talks about us being the light of the world, the city on a hill. If you've got a light, should you hide it under a bushel? No, I'm going to let it shine. Well, this isn't about you shining your light. This is like the lamp. There's the lamp. Let's think about this. If there is a lamp, is it meant to be hidden, or is it meant to be made manifest? Is it meant to be made known? If there is the lamp, is it meant to be a secret, or is it meant to shine its light? No, if there's a lamp, it's meant to be put on a stand so that everyone can see it, so that it'll light the whole place up. So, Jesus is saying there's a lamp, what do you think is going to happen with that lamp? Just because you can't see it now doesn't mean it's not going to shine for everyone to see. So, I love the way Jesus talks right here, this confidence that he has. He's so convinced that the lamp is going to shine. Look what he says there in verse 22, “nothing is hidden except to be made manifest,” to be made known, “nor is anything secret except to come to light.” Like someday, the glory of God is going to shine in a way so that everyone can see it. You may not be able to see it now, but trust me, there's the lamp, and everyone's going to see the glory of its light. So, Jesus speaks about the kingdom.
Let's get this down for point number one: “The kingdom of God is a sure thing.” The Kingdom of God is a sure thing. The light of the glory of God is definitely coming, and it's going to be seen by all. In fact, you can read the entire book of Revelation, the unveiling of the glory of Jesus. You think the sun is bright, you just wait till you see the radiance of the splendor of the glory of God radiating off of Jesus when we get to see him in his full God mode. Jesus knows the lamp. Oh, the lamp. It's going to be on its stand. The lamp's going to shine. It's going to be made known. Everybody's going to see it, this kingdom. It is surely going to come. Go with me to Matthew, chapter 10, verse 26, Matthew 10:26. Jesus uses these kind of phrases, like, what's hidden will be made known, what’s secret will be brought to the light. He uses these phrases regularly in his teaching. Here, in Matthew 10, he's sending out his peoples to go and preach two by two out in the cities of Israel. So, he's trained them up a little bit, and now he's sending them out here in Matthew 10. Look what he says in Matthew 10:26. He warns them, people are going to persecute you. People are going to oppose you. It's going to get rough out there. But he says about those people here in Matthew 10:26, ““So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Hey, don't worry about how things seem right now, because right now things are hidden that are going to be revealed. Right now, things are secret that are going to be made known. So don't go by how it is with what you can see and feel and hear right now. If you know the kingdom is true, if you know the kingdom is coming, go and shout it from the rooftops. Who cares what people think right now? When it's revealed, they'll all know that you were preaching the truth. That's the idea here. Let this future confidence that you have in the kingdom make you bold to speak today in a way that people won't even appreciate today because they can't see it, but you know it's coming, so be bold now.
These phrases of Jesus, they're masterful when you really study them and you get into them, because this kind of a phrase that what is hidden now will be revealed later, what is secret now will come to light like right when I say, that here in this room, there are people who are like, that sounds amazing, and there are people who are like, that sounds terrible. So just the way that Jesus teaches reveals what your thoughts really are about the kingdom. Because if you're living every day, praying for the kingdom to come, trying to tell people the good news of Jesus, waiting for God to come and see him in all of his glory, and then we tell you all the secret things are going to be made known in the future, you're like, yes, Maranatha, come Lord Jesus, I can't wait to see his glory. This sounds wonderful. Meanwhile, other people here in the room are thinking, well, I don't want my secrets coming to the light. I don't want my hidden things being revealed for all to see. I don't want things that nobody knows to be made known. And other people are thinking, wait, everything's going to be exposed. Everything's going to be revealed. That sounds terrible. I'm not sure about that. It's amazing how this idea that Jesus puts out there of a lamp that's going to shine everything in the light that either sounds like awesome, bring it on, or that sounds like, no, I don't want to be exposed like that. It's amazing how the words of Jesus, see they have this polarizing effect, where they either show you want the light or actually know you'd prefer things to keep in the dark.
Go back to Mark, chapter 4, and you'll see how that continues in the next picture that he gives. The first picture he gives us the lamp. The second picture he gives here in verse 24 is the measure, the measure, and this is where he says, “Look at what you hear.” See what I'm saying. So even those people here, oh, I've heard this before. No, no, can you really just look at what Jesus is saying. The measure that you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. So, this idea of the measure may not be immediately clear to us, but I'll try to explain it to you or give you a picture of it. For example, this week, I went to Sprouts. Anybody ever go to Sprouts before? Has anybody been to Sprouts? A few of us. Anybody been to sprouts on Warner? Warner specifically? Yes, okay, a few of us. We've darkened that door, and we go in there and it looks like a grocery store. A lot of us know what grocery stores look like. But at this Sprouts on Warner right there, especially in the middle area, they've got different kinds of nuts and different kind of candies that remind me of the good old grocery store days, right where you go and you get the scoop and, oh, I like this candy, or, oh, hey, my grandpa, he'd like to have some of these nuts over here. So, we'll go scoop some of that. We'll put it in a little bag, and then we put it on the measure or the scale. We find out how much it weighs. And now we're going to know how much that bag of candy or nuts or whatever it is, how much that costs. That's what the measure does. Now, if we put ourselves in the context of the first century, they're exchanging a lot of goods, a lot of different things that they're growing or that they're making, and so how do we determine the value of these things? Well, we need a scale. We need a measure, and then we can kind of see how much you've got, how much I've got, and we can make a fair exchange. And so, in their economy, this idea of the measure was a very present idea. And here's what Jesus is saying that is so profound. He's saying, what is the measure you use? Because the measure you're using right now is the measure that will be used on you when the kingdom comes. So whatever standard, whatever scale you're using to look at other people right now, that's the same scale that you will be weighed on when the kingdom comes.
Go over to Luke 6:37, and let's look at another passage where Jesus uses this same idea. It's a regular thing he would talk about is this idea of the measure you use will be measured unto you. And this might sound more familiar how he says it here in Luke 6:37-38. He says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” So, let's think about this, everybody. How do you view other people? Are you like, I can't believe so and so. I can't believe what they're doing. What's their problem? I'm so sick of them, and you're judging them. Maybe you're even thinking, I hate that person. I can't stand what they did to me. I can't stand what they did to my family. I'm just done with them. I've had enough of them. Maybe you're not saying it in that nice of a way even. Are you judging people? Are you condemning people? Is that the measure you use on other people? Well, guess what? You can expect then you'll be judged by that same standard. You'll be condemned by that same standard. Or are you thinking, man, I want to spread the word of the kingdom. I want people to know the good news of Jesus. And that person, they did something that I didn't like, but I don't want what's going on between us to keep them from coming to Jesus. And so, I'm going to forgive them. In fact, I know that that person, they've got some needs, and I have a way to meet that need. And so, I'm even going to give to them, because my sole goal in praying for this person or thinking of this person or caring for this person is I want them to be in the kingdom that's coming. I want them to be saved by the gospel of Jesus. I want them to be one of God's people, and so I'm ready to forgive them. Even if they're evil to me, I'm ready to give to them if they have a need, because what I really care for them is that they would be in the kingdom. Now, how do you view people? Because Jesus, the master teacher who's saying things going over people's heads when you actually know what he's saying, it's very clear. The way you view other people shows who you are right now, and it shows whether you're ready for the kingdom to come or whether you're going to be judged yourself, because you're so focused on judging other people. With the measure that you use, it's going to be measured to you. And then there's this description here that doesn't make much sense to us, but in verse 38 it talks about “a good measure.” See, it's pressed down. It's packed down. There's not a lot of fluff in the measurement to kind of make it seem better than it is. No, it's pressed, it's shaken, it's right there in your lap. It's running over like, no, look at what you’ve got. This was a great deal that you got. That's the idea here. Those who are here to give and forgive, there's a whole lot more coming for you, and those who are here to judge and condemn, even what you have right now will be taken away from you.
Go back to Mark 4. That's literally what he says in verse 25. This is how Jesus is saying when the kingdom comes, those who have you're going to get even more. But those who have not, even what you have, you're going to lose it. So, here's somebody just living for the here and now, always reaching, always grabbing, always trying to maintain things, keep things in order, make sure we have enough. Maybe trying to just get greedy. Maybe in it for your own pleasure. Always reaching, always grabbing, never quite feeling like you get enough, but always going for it. Well, when the kingdom comes, even this life that you're trying to hang on to, you'll lose that life. But then there are people, they're not living for right here, right now, and what they can get for themselves, they're living for the kingdom, and they're caring for other people, and they want other people to be in the kingdom with them. And they're denying themselves now, but they're looking forward to later. Well, that person, not only do they have the kingdom now, when the kingdom actually comes, oh, they're going to get so much more. In fact, look at what he said at the end of verse 24. He said, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” That makes me think of what Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” You want a return on your investment? Live for the kingdom. You want to lose everything? Try to get it all right now, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
This is amazing teaching, and so let's get this down for number two: “The Kingdom will bring reward or loss.” When the kingdom comes, everybody will experience either a great return on their investment in the kingdom, or they will lose even the things they were trying to hang on in their life right here, right now. The Kingdom will make everything clear. The Kingdom will reveal where everybody's really at right now. You may not know what people are really all about. When the kingdom comes, those who have, more will be given to them, and those who don't have, well, they'll lose even what they were trying to have. So, the kingdom, when this comes, when the lamp is on its stand and when everybody's measured out according to the measure that they used, wow, the Kingdom will reveal everything when it comes. This is the teaching of Jesus. Now you could see how this mysterious statement about a lamp and this thing about a measure that could go over a lot of people's heads, but when Jesus is there, explaining it to those who have the ears to hear, to his disciples, this is profound teaching that the future kingdom is definitely coming. It's a sure thing. And if I'm in that kingdom. I want to give it all I've got, because I'll be given even more. And I don't want to keep living for myself right here, right now, because I'm going to lose all of that in the end. So that's what these statements are all about. Do you have the ear to hear about the lamp? And can you look at what Jesus is saying about the measure? How are your thoughts about other people? Do you realize that's how you're going to be judged in the future? And then he goes to these pictures here. Look at verse 30. With what can we compare the kingdom of God? See, Jesus is trying to get you, if you can hear him, to think about something you can't see or feel or hear now, and he's saying that's what you want to live for. But if you're just trying to get through the day, or you're just trying to get more for yourself, if your focus is just on this life, no, look to the kingdom.
Let's go back to Bitcoin for a second, if we can. Okay, I want to talk about this idea that if you had invested in Bitcoin, would you want to make your investment in Bitcoin now, or would you have wanted to do it back in the day? Right? And so, let's say you invested $1,000 into Bitcoin. And I got this from an article on bankrate.com where they kind of just broke it down, it went from ten cents in July of 2010 to that one bitcoin being $107,361. Now, so let's say a summer ago, one year ago, you put $1,000 into Bitcoin, well you would have now $1,712. So, in a year, you would have made $712. So, better to get in before it's too late, I guess, would be the idea. But let's go back five years. If you had done $1,000 years ago, well now you would have $11,748. So you would have made $10,000 in five years. How about 10 years ago? If you put $1,000 into Bitcoin 10 years ago, you would now have $408,108 but here's the number that people are talking about. I wish I'd bought Bitcoin. Well, here it is, if you had bought $1,000 worth of bitcoin in 2010 you would now have $1.07 billion. And I guarantee you, when the kingdom comes, people will be thinking, I wish I'd put all my money into this. I wish I'd put all my time into this. What was I even doing? Have you heard about the most expensive two-piece pizzas in the history of planet Earth? Has anybody heard this story? The first real exchange between Bitcoin and something you could actually buy with it? It happened with this guy who bought two pizzas with his Bitcoin, and at that time, he gave 10,000 Bitcoins. Which was worth about $40 to get these two pizzas. So, at that time, it seemed cool, like, hey, I'm taking this Bitcoin thing that people don't even know what it is. And look, I'm now eating two pizzas. And here's this guy chomping on his pizza. Like, look, Bitcoin is real. Do you realize that if that guy had not bought those two pizzas and he had hung on to his 10,000 Bitcoins, he would now have over $1 billion. Those are the two most expensive pizzas that have ever been eaten. How'd you like to be that guy waking up today?
Now here's what I want to say. Some of you are that guy waking up today, and God has given you your life, and you're living for that life, rather than for the kingdom, for God and his glory and his people. And so, this is something we need. We need to hear what Jesus is saying here. Jesus is saying, when the kingdom comes, those who have, they'll get even more. And if you don't have, you'll lose it all. So, let's process that. That means, for those of you who are living for the kingdom, you should leave here encouraged, like this is going to be worth it. I'm so glad to be a part of this. In fact, I want to give as much as I can and be in as early as I can, because I believe it's going to be worth it. And then some here today, you need to realize the way I'm thinking about life does not go with the parables of Jesus. And I need to rethink, I'm giving 10,000 Bitcoins for two pizzas. I should be giving more towards the kingdom. I should be telling people more about the gospel. I should be reprioritizing for things that are going to matter in the end, not what matters right now. So, what Jesus is saying here today, I'm concerned that it could fly over your head, and you could just go keep living the same way. But Jesus is giving you a glimpse into the future right now, and you need to hear what he's saying now. Look at this picture he gives in verse 26. He says, this is what it's going to look like. Let me try to give you an example of the kingdom of God. It's as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and this man who's got this land where he's thrown the seed, he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and it grows. He knows not how. So even the farmer, even the man himself who threw the seed out there, who has the land, he doesn't even know how this all works, how it really grows. Okay. Now, notice the Jewish mindset. Notice how it says it sleeps and rises night and day. Remember, in the Jewish mindset, the days begin at sundown, and it goes night and then the morning, and that makes a day. So that's what it's reflecting here, as the days go by, this seed is growing. And even the guy who threw the seed out there, he can't fully explain to you how it's growing, but it really is growing. In fact, it starts and it gives you the whole description of the growth there. It starts with the blade, then the ear, then the full grain. And when the grain is ripe, that's when you put in the sickle. That's when it's harvest time. And so that's the picture of what's happening. Ever since Jesus sent out his disciples, they were spreading the gospel. We're spreading the Word for thousands of years all over the world. And guess what? It's growing. The kingdom is growing. More people are believing in the gospel. More people are seeing the kingdom is at hand, and they're living for eternal things, and it's growing, and we can't even explain how it's growing. We don't even know exactly how it's growing. I mean, we know some things, like, you need to preach the gospel, you need to open up the Bible, you need to explain what the Word says. You need to love people. You need to care for them. We know some things, but we can't even fully explain it, but God is doing a work to grow his kingdom. God is doing a work with his people. Jesus is building his church. This parable is only in the Gospel of Mark. It's nowhere else. You might be thinking, I've never heard that parable of the farmer who doesn't even know how his grain is growing? Well, that's because it's only right here. This is the only place you could hear it. And it's this optimistic, positive idea that even if I can't see it, even if it doesn't feel like it, and even if I can’t see it, I don't even know how it happens, because God causes the growth.
Let's go to 1 Corinthians, Chapter 3 as another example. This idea that it's not the farmer who does it, it's God who causes the growth. And this is something we should all expect that the kingdom of God is on the move, the kingdom of God, oh, yeah. You can't really see it happening. You don't really know how it's happening, but if you look over the last thousands of years of world history, and you look at what's happening all over the world, Christians are believing in the kingdom is advancing all over the place, and God is the one who's doing this work. I just got to tell you, going through mark and studying this parable where the farmer doesn't even know how the growth happens. Man, studying this, I relate to this one hundred percent here in Huntington Beach. Being a pastor here for ten years now, and every day you come here, it doesn't feel like awesome things are happening this last week at Camp Compass, it felt awesome. But not every day does it feel like that. And you know about this, if you're trying to share the gospel with people, if you're trying to really give your life to other people, sometimes you're pleading with someone and you're saying to them, no, don't you understand? Jesus died for you. Jesus loves you. He's ready to forgive all your sin. Why are you going to keep living in that sin? If you turn from that sin. Jesus will forgive you for all of it. He'll show you a new way to live, like you’ve got to believe this. You’ve got to repent. This is the best thing that would ever happen to you. And you're just pouring yourself out, sharing it with somebody, and then they leave, and you're walking away thinking, I don't know if they really got it. I don't know if they really heard it. I don't know if they're really going to change. And so, you're throwing the seed out, and you're not even sure what's really happening. But then you look around and you see people's lives changing. You see families really even changing, the way the husband and the wife interact, the way the parents are to the kids. And you're like, wow, look what God is doing. I don't even know how he does it, but it's awesome to behold when you get a glimpse of it. The idea is God is going to cause the growth of his kingdom. Look at how Paul explains it here in 1 Corinthians 3, if you pick it up in verse 4. The problem with the Corinthian church is there were divisions among them. They were not united, and one of the arguments they had was about pastors. A lot of people argue about different pastors in Christianity. They did that here in 1 Corinthians 3:4-6. “For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” So, here he is saying, and a lot of people quote these verses out of context, because Paul is the guy who plants the Corinthian church. You can read about it in Acts 18. He comes in preaching the gospel. Some of these people get saved. A church begins later on. When Paul leaves, Apollos comes in. So, it's kind of like Paul, so to speak, was the first pastor of the church, and now Apollos, he's the main guy preaching later on. So, this isn't like a work of evangelism, how a lot of people use this. This is like what we used to have Paul as the main preacher, and now we've got Apollos as the guy preaching. And some people are like, well, back in the day when Paul was preaching, everything was great at the church. And then other people are like, no Apollos, he's got the new trendy, hip way to connect. I'm really down with what he's saying, and this unnecessary, unhelpful debate between Paul and Apollos is now dividing people within this church. And Paul comes and says, hey, as one of the guys that you're debating about, can I just clarify your debate? Because it really doesn't matter if I did it or if Apollos did it, because God is really the one who did it. And so many Christians spend so much time looking at the human messengers, and they don't really see what God is doing. We don't even know how he's doing it, but he is advancing his kingdom, the kingdom of God. Right now, as you sit here, it's on the move, and God's doing a work. He causes the growth. Don't get so focused on this person or that person. Expect God to bring the growth.
Let's get that down for number three, that's what Jesus is teaching: “Expect God to give the growth.” God is advancing his kingdom, even though you may not know exactly how he's going to do it, or where he's doing it, or how he even does it, when it happens, God is doing it. And some of my brothers who have been here with me from the beginning, let me just tell you that God has done more here in our little church in Huntington Beach, then we could have asked him, or we could have thought. It's way more than what we could have done, because God is the one doing it. Can I get an amen from anybody on that? One pastor that I had in my life that I was blessed to hear preach is a guy named John MacArthur. I don't know if anybody's ever heard of John MacArthur, but he just passed away this last week. Man, he's kind of a famous pastor. So, I have heard so many people say, so many debates about John MacArthur, let me tell you, as somebody who grew up going to his church, as somebody who got to sit and hear him preach, twenty-seven years ago, he opened up the Bible and he preached a sermon. And if I close my eyes and think about it for a second, I can still hear what he said that day, and it wasn't because John MacArthur said it. It was because it was the Word of the living God, and I heard it, and it got into my heart and the fear of God, the chill that went down my spine and the fear of God that I felt in that service is still with me to this very day, because it took root in my heart. See, and it wasn't because of him, although he was a great Bible teacher to hear, no, it was God causing the growth. See, so many people, they lose their sight of God because some pastor says something they don't like, or some pastor falls into sin, or somebody they know was a hypocrite. Well, let me tell you, there's a whole bunch of bad pastors and a whole bunch of hypocrites, but God will cause the growth. Never give up on what God is doing. He is always working. You don't even know how he's doing it, but you’d better believe that he is doing it, and you can expect that he's working, he's building, he's growing, and God knows when the time is for the harvest. God knows when the time is for the kingdom to come. And everything is working towards God's plan of the kingdom of Jesus being revealed for everyone to see, and so you may not know how it's working, but that's okay. Jesus says God's doing it, and you can have confidence in his work and his timing. Don't let people disappoint you. Put your faith in what God is doing, and you will see him do even more than what you could have imagined. That's what Paul says to the Corinthians. That's what Jesus is saying in this parable. I love this parable. You don't know how it's going to work, but God will cause the growth.
Go back with me to Mark, chapter 4, because he gives another picture. So, here's Jesus for those who have ears to hear, for those who really want to see what he's saying. Let me give you some thoughts about the kingdom that you can get in your mind to encourage you. And I hope that the last picture encourages some of my brothers and sisters. You're out here sharing the gospel. You're out here praying for that family member, you're out here teaching your kid the Bible, and you're like, where's this all going? Well, it's not up to you to know how God works, but you can know he does work. I hope that really encourages you. But then Jesus gives this other picture here in verse 30, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?” Well, here's one of the common parables that Jesus says, “it's like a grain of a mustard seed, which is the smallest of the seeds.” So, some of us have been to Israel. We've seen the mustard seeds, and we've seen the big plant that the mustard seed grows up into. If I had a mustard seed and I was holding it up right now as a visual demonstration, it wouldn't really matter, because you wouldn't be able to see it. It's this small, insignificant seed. But then you go and see, the plant that comes from that seed, this aggressive plant that's always reaching out and growing, this big plant that the birds can come and they can live in its shade. Oh, wow. So, this is how the kingdom is. You can barely even see it. It seems small and seems insignificant, like is it even really happening? But when you do see it, wow. It will be so large, it will be so much more than you expected. That's the picture Jesus wants to give you of the kingdom. Oh, if it seems small and insignificant, now don't worry, it'll be large. It'll have the branches reaching out. The birds will come, and they'll nest in its shade. That's how you should think about the kingdom. Yeah, you don't see it, but you should expect it. That's the picture. Now he also gives this same parable. It's recorded in Matthew 13, and also Luke 13. So, this picture of a mustard seed, and Jesus loved to talk about the mustard seed, even if you have faith like a mustard seed, even if your faith seems small and insignificant, it's actually not. And even if the kingdom seems small and insignificant in America and in the nations of the world right now, it's actually not. The kingdom of Jesus will actually be larger than any nation that has ever existed. In fact, in the kingdom of Jesus, all that will matter is whether you're in the kingdom or you're not in the kingdom. And no one in the kingdom of Jesus will identify with America, or the United States, or whatever country you were born in, or you came from. No, we won't be thinking like that. We'll be thinking, this is my kingdom. This is what I belong to. It'll take over everything. But right now, it seems very small and insignificant.
So, this is the way Jesus taught, if you're living by what you can see, you're missing the point, because the kingdom is going to take over everything. It may seem small and insignificant now, but it will be larger than anything else has been. Okay. Go to Matthew 13, where he gave that same parable. And I want to show you a couple of other pictures that he gives of how you would respond to this. Okay, so the kingdom's a sure thing. The Kingdom will bring reward or loss. You should expect God to do it, even if you don't know how, even if you can't see it. Okay, so then how do we respond to this? Well, here in Matthew 13, look at verses 44 and 45 where Jesus gives two parables of pictures of how to respond. He says, here in Matthew 13:44-45, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” So, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, when you hear about this kingdom, it's so awesome. It's such a treasure that it is worth much. Go and sell everything else you've got and just go all in on buying the field where that treasure is. Like, don't spread yourself. Then don't waste your time going after other things, sell out everything else, and go all in on having this kingdom and the joy that you will experience in this kingdom. That's the idea here.
Look at the next verse, verse 45 again, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” It's such an investment. It's so worth it that I'll just lose everything else. I'll sell everything else so that I can have this one pearl of great price. This one thing, the kingdom. This is Jesus's investment advice. This is what Jesus is saying that you should do with your time, with your money, with your energy, with the very life that you have in your soul, give it all for the Kingdom. It will be so worth it. Your return on investment. Wow. Where do you see it? That's his advice.
Point number four, let's get it down like this: “Invest like you know the future.” Invest like you know the future. Invest like it's July 2010 and somebody tells you about Bitcoin for ten cents. Invest like it's 1960s and somebody just built a house in Huntington Beach, and they're selling it for $18,500. Invest like somebody in 1999 is saying, hey, you want to buy this pack of Pokemon cards? Well, if I knew what I would know now, give me two of them. That's what Jesus is saying right here. When you see the kingdom, you'll be thinking to yourself, What was I doing? Where did all my time go? Where did all my money go? Where did all my heart and soul energy go? And this is glorious. This is awesome. This is so worth it. Why was I not all in for this? And can you hear Jesus saying that now? Can you see Jesus saying that to you today? There will come a day. Can you hear that now?
Go over to Luke 12, before he gives the parable in Luke 13, there's some teaching about Jesus has on the kingdom here at the end of Luke 12. Let's pick it up in verse 29 of Luke 12. You might be familiar with how Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, you need to stop worrying about the things of this life. Okay, so there's so much anxiety, there's so much stress about how's it all going to work out. Is this going to come together? How are we going to get through this? How are we going to have enough for this? And Jesus, he's very clear. Stop worrying about your life. Stop living in that anxiety. Look at how he says it here in Luke 12:29, he says, “Do not seek what you are to eat or what you are to drink, nor be worried.” Yes, there are things we need in this life and where there is money we need to get the things we need in this life. But don't worry about that. “For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Do you hear the promise of Jesus? If you put the kingdom of God first, if you make the way you're going, to forgive and give other people the measure that you use, if you believe the lamp is going to be on the stand, if you live for the future of when Jesus will be glorified in the kingdom, not only will your Father, who knows what you need now, add to you the things you need now, but in the kingdom, even more will be added to you. Everything will be taken care of if you put the kingdom first, or you can spend all of your time, energy and money trying to take care of it yourself. And Jesus is saying, why would you go and worry about all that and spend your life when you won't even get anywhere, always trying to get but never having when you could come and seek the kingdom and it could all be added to you, not only what you need now, but so much more, you can't even imagine yet. And so, then he says this, I love this verse 32, “Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Like, how good do you think God really is? If there's anything you enjoy in this life, if there's anything that you would call good right here, right now. Do you know where that came from? Do you know who gave that to you? Do you know who created and designed and worked that out for you? Well, now he's got a kingdom that he's putting his name on, and it's his good pleasure to give it to you. You don't think the kingdom of God is going to be better than what's going on right now? You don't think the one who knows about love and relationships and blessing and fruitfulness, the one who knows all about those things, when he has a whole kingdom with his name on it, you don't think that's going to be awesome? It's going to be his good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Man, whenever I go to a restaurant that I don't know, and I'm studying this menu, you know, I guess the thing I don't want to do is buy something I'm not going to like. Is anybody else there with me on that? So, you're looking at this menu, and you're like, don't blow this one, Blakey, you know what I'm saying? Like, pick a winner here. One of the keys that I've learned, and this is free advice. One of the keys I've learned is, if they put the restaurant name on the item, there's a better chance it's not a stinker. You know what I mean? If they're putting their name on it. Whose kingdom is it? It's the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God. He has a kingdom he wants to give you in his good pleasure that's going to be worth it. In fact, look at what he goes on to say. Here's the advice that Jesus gives, the teaching, “Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail. Where no thief approaches and no moth destroys, for where your treasure is there, will your heart be also.” And if you could see the kingdom come, you would have no problem giving everything else away.
So, can you see what Jesus is saying? Can you really hear it and take it to heart? So, I want to just ask you, are you investing in the kingdom in the future, or do you have to admit, too focused on what's right here, right now, too worried about the things of this life. I really want you to take this to heart. I'm really praying for some of you. Some of you, I see you faithfully serving Jesus, and I'm praying that this will really encourage you. It's worth it to give your life away to Jesus. It's worth it to live in the kingdom and not right now. Hear what Jesus is saying. Let it be an encouragement to your soul and some of you, I'm praying for you, because this is different than what you're thinking. You need to change what you're thinking based on what you're hearing from Jesus. Because when the kingdom of God is revealed, and the lamp is on its stand, and everybody's measured by the measure they used, and it all grows into this large plant, and there's all the branches and all the birds living in there, you'll be like, wow, the kingdom of God. That's what I should have invested my whole life in. There's never going to be a return on an investment greater than that.
So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to call the ushers to come forward, and we're going to take an offering and Project Pay it Forward as our church has what it needs. Our goal is to send money forward to other churches. We have identified a specific need at Compass Tustin, where they have ground floor space that they're not using, and they've got kids on the second floor, we would like to help them with that. So, if you want to give towards that, feel free to do so. In this service, if you don't have money to give with you, there's a QR code on the back. You can click on Project Pay it Forward on the website. You could give anytime later on even if you're not ready to do that right now. But even more than this particular need, originally, I knew pastor Elliot was preaching last week, so we were going to take the offering for Tustin before I even knew this is what we would be preaching today. Okay, so the point is, are you living for the kingdom? Can you hear what Jesus is saying? Are the secrets of the kingdom being revealed to you, or are you going to leave here and just keep giving all your all that you've got for right here, right now? I hope that you can really hear what Jesus is saying. Let me pray.
Father in heaven. I thank you so much for Mark, chapter 4, and God, I just I thank you so much for Jesus telling us there's a lamp you don't think it's going to shine. There's a measure that you're using right now. You don't think you're going to be measured by it. I love how Jesus is calling us to hear and calling us to see what he's saying. And God, I pray that that would happen here today in our hearts. I pray that what we're hearing today would take root in our souls, that we would be the good soil who would hear this Word and receive it. And God, I pray that we would live in a way that doesn't make sense in Orange County. I pray that we would live in a way where it doesn't seem like we're trying to get more time for ourselves and more money for ourselves. I pray that it would seem like we're people who are quick to give money and quick to give time, because we're investing it, not in right here right now, but we're investing in your kingdom. We believe that Jesus's glory is going to be revealed. We believe that he's going to reign, and we want to be there with him. And so, Father, I pray that you would encourage the brothers and sisters who are giving and serving and forgiving, help them to know that it will be added to them, that their investment will be worth it. And I pray for those who are just not thinking the way that Jesus is teaching. God, I pray that there would be a real change, that you would do a work in their hearts, that you would cause growth even here today among us. God, I just want to take a moment to thank you as a someone who's been here in Huntington Beach for the last ten years at this church with these people, and I've been trying to share the gospel, God, I thank you that you've caused the growth. I don't even know how you've done it, God, but I can tell that you are growing your people. I can tell that you are spreading the message. Now you're even using our Church to impact other churches, God. And I don't know when the time is that your kingdom is going to come. But I pray that until that day, we at this church will be living like the kingdom is coming. We'll be living like we know the future. We'll be living like I found one sure thing, and I sold everything else I've got, and I'm all in for the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that we would be those people. And so, God, let us not just give of our money right now. Let us give of all we are. Let us lay down our lives as living sacrifices because we believe that your son, Jesus and your kingdom that is coming is worth it. And so, we'll gladly give our lives away today. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.