Ezekiel 17, 22 through 24. Thus says the Lord God, I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the top most of its young twigs, a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird. In the shade of its branches, birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree. and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the word of the Lord. Turn with me in your Bibles to Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter two. We'll read verses five through 11 together. Philippians 2, beginning verse 5, hear the word of the Lord. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And turn now with me to the Gospel of Mark, and we'll read in chapter 4, verses 21 through 34 together. Mark chapter four, beginning at verse 21. Hear the word of the Lord. 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 to them, 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 nest 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. This is the word of the Lord. Congregation, let's go to the Lord in prayer and seek his blessing now. Let us pray. Almighty God, you have made every eye here, and mouth here, and ear here. It is You who teach men to speak. Teach me now to speak, O Lord, faithfully Your Word as You have left it here in the Bible for us, inspired by You, and cause this people to hear again. We thank You for every ear that You have opened to hear the Word of the Lord, to see into that great mystery of Your Kingdom, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God come in the flesh. that they might be encouraged and built up. And, O Heavenly Father, if there be not an ear, ear open to hear these things, or an eye to see, that you would cause that ear to be opened this morning, that I to see the great glory of your gospel as it is given to us in Jesus Christ. It is for the sake of his name we pray. Amen. Beloved in the Lord, The text that I would like to call your attention to this morning is verse 25 of Mark's gospel, verse 25 of the fourth chapter of the gospel according to Mark, where it says, 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. Now these are the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gives them here as the greatest encouragement to follow through with his preceding admonition for careful hearing. Pay attention to what? you hear there in verse 24. For as these words indicate, everything is on the line. If you hear right, you are blessed. If you hear wrong, you are cursed. Now that is the first thing that you notice about this text. It is all or nothing. Either you have or you don't have. He who has. He who does not have. You are either the one or the other. And this naturally raises the question, which one am I? Do I have or do I not have? That is the question. Have or have not. Well, that depends on what you've heard at church, whether you have or not. For you see, you have or you come to have, as Jesus stresses, by hearing, by careful hearing, by spiritual hearing and discernment. Hearing of what, you ask? Well, what Jesus has been sowing, and that is the gospel. Those who hear the preaching of the gospel, first, as it was done by Christ in his day, as we've read, done by his apostles after Pentecost, when Christ was raised and glorified, and done now today by his minister sent in his name. If you hear, you have the kingdom. You have it as a seed in yourself, which promises more to come. So that those who do not hear the gospel, though they should listen to it every week in church, have not the seed, but are chaff. Presently clinging to whatever they have in their association with the church, which will be taken away when Christ returns and only that wheat is left standing with Him. Do you see why then that Christ is appealing to you to listen carefully? Because He knows that it's all or nothing, either you hear and have or you don't hear and you don't have. I make the same appeal to you this morning. To make sure you listen carefully to the gospel this morning, for I intend to proclaim it in your ears. With all my heart, I want each of you to have it and to live in the blessed assurance of more to come. Now the purpose of my sermon this morning will be to show why those who have will have more, and why those who don't have will lose even what they have. Along with that, to show some marks of how you can be sure that you do have, and lastly, some encouragements for this life to those of you who do have, and the woes to come for those who do not. if there be any here. That is the plan for this morning's sermon. So let us look now why it is that those who hear will have more to come and those who do not hear will lose everything. The explanation for this is simple. The logic of it is contained in each one of these parables that Jesus has just spoken here about the kingdom of God, that we read a moment ago. Except for the one about careful hearing, the one about the measure, that is a parable which is an application to the other parables. So let's take that first parable, the parable of the light. That's in verses 21 and through 22. where Jesus says that a lamp is brought to be placed on a lampstand and not hidden. But then he acknowledges there are things hidden and secret now, but only to be made manifest in time to come. So that with the coming of the lamp, there is the promise of light to come. So Jesus is teaching that his message brings with it the promise of change, namely from darkness, hiddenness, veiledness, to light and openness. That's the first parable. The second parable is like it. That's found in verses 26 through 29. That is the parable about seed time and harvest. Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like the change from seed time to harvest. By its own mysterious power, the seed changes from its weak, dull form to its bright and glorious fruit. Just as seed time promises the more of harvest time, so the message of Jesus about the kingdom of God promises more to come. That's the second parable. The last parable is there in verses 30 and 32, and that is the parable about the grain of mustard seed. Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like the change that a mustard seed undergoes. It starts out as utterly insignificant, but it ends up as the largest plant by far in your garden. even to such an extent that birds can rest in its shade. So again, Jesus is teaching that the Kingdom of God in its very nature promises more to come. In each of these three parables, Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God promises more. just like a lamp promises light, just like seed time promises harvest and a mustard grain promises to take over your garden. There is more to come with the kingdom of God. So do you see then why those who have will be given more and why those who don't will lose all? It is because The message that Jesus came sowing promises more so that those with ears to hear who hear it and receive it and live in the hope of receiving more one day like the farmer who sows seed lives in the hope of the harvest. The seed promises more. That's the logic of the gospel of the kingdom of God. That's the principle From the nature that Jesus is using to expound the nature of the Kingdom of God to this multitude is listening to him. The seed promises more. Nay, even the seed promises a change. From a weak, dull seed comes a glorious harvest. That's Jesus' point in these parables. His message of the Kingdom of God promises more in the form of a change from weakness and hiddenness to power and to glory. Well, you might be thinking, then, why doesn't he just say that? Why doesn't he just openly say that? Why does he teach that with parables? Well, the text tells you why. Look at verse 33. With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. The multitude in which many were undecided about him. Is he the Messiah? Is he not? Were unable to hear the word of God plainly. And that will become plain to you if I first show you or proclaim to you the gospel that Jesus taught here in the parables that you're used to hearing. You and I are used to hearing the gospel in this manner, that Jesus, the Son of God, who is in the form of God, came as God's Messiah in humility. making himself of no reputation, but taking the form of a servant, in which form as a man he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto the death on a cross, for which and by which God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every name. that at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven on earth and under the earth should bow and confess that he is Lord and Christ to the glory of God the Father and who is coming again in glory with the holy angels. Have you heard that gospel before? You and I are familiar with the gospel. You and I are familiar with this gospel. of a suffering servant. A suffering Messiah whose sufferings have purchased his people's peace and pardon with God. Which then secures for them also the glory of His glorious resurrection. Who Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 is the first fruits of the harvest promising the more to come. That is our gospel, right? That is the gospel that we hope in. That Jesus died for our sins in weakness to bring us to God as forgiven sinners. who live in the hope of His glorious resurrection and even partaking now in that resurrection life by the sealing and gift of the Holy Spirit as we are in union with Christ by faith. Have you heard that gospel? You know that gospel? That's the one that God has given each one of us to believe in. It ought to be clear then that if he preached that openly, they either would have killed him sooner than they did or utterly rejected him. Because imagine if he spoke all that plainly. He tried. They didn't want to hear it. I'm God come in the flesh. I'm going to die on a cross for your sins. Then I'm going to raise on the third day and I'm going to be in glory. This is your king. This is the one you've been waiting for for millennia. We know what they did with that message. Proclaimed to them in the prophets and the law and they rejected it. It ought to be clear then why he's teaching them in parables. He taught them as they were able to hear it. And He taught them as they were able to hear it, because He is a wonderfully gracious Savior. They could only hear of this glorious Gospel in parable form, whereas we hear it openly and plainly today. And He taught them in these parables that they might reflect on His teaching. Come and to see that there is more to come and believe this Gospel. He wasn't teaching it just to shut them out. But if he spoke openly to them, they would have shut him out. So he spoke to them in parables so that they would listen, reflect upon it, hear, and believe, and be saved. For I came not to judge, but to save the world, Jesus Christ said. Each of these parables is about Jesus and God's kingdom, right? Jesus is the lamp. Go back to verse 21. Jesus is the lamp. The Greek text does not read, is a lamp brought, but it reads, does a lamp come? But because we don't think of lamps bringing themselves, we translate it as brought. Jesus is making a point because he's already said in the gospel to us twice, I've come to preach the gospel, Mark 1.38. I have come to call sinners to repentance, Mark 2.17. So he's talking here about, in parable form, does a lamp come? Indicating he's not talking about a mere lamp. He is the lamp. who has come and one day his kingdom will shine in glory and its hiddenness and secretness, which require faith now to penetrate into it, will be changed into manifest glory. In fact, it is the secretness that he talks about. The purposeful secretness. Things are hidden except to be... The purposeful secretness is because it plays into God's plan for our redemption. Why did they kill him? Because he didn't come and manifest glory. Paul testifies, if the wise ones of this world knew that Jesus Christ was the Lord of glory, they never would have put him to death. It's because they didn't think he was the Lord of glory. Thought he was a mere blasphemer. So the secrecy and hiddenness of the kingdom of God serves God's purpose for your redemption. And Jesus tells us it's not going to stay secret forever. But one day, as we read in Philippians 2, every knee will bow and all will acknowledge openly that Christ is King and Lord. Likewise, the third parable that we read about the mustard seed. This parable is taken from Ezekiel chapter 17, which we read earlier. There God promises to raise up a great kingdom from a lowly sprig. Jesus Christ is that lowly sprig while he was on earth and he was rejected. But the counsel of God will stand and no one will stay his hand, and the present veiled and weak stage of his kingdom, like a seed, will one day burst forth and be changed in a twinkling to the glory of God, that all may know that God makes the high tree low, and that God, and it is because Jesus Christ made himself a low tree while he was here on earth, that any of us can hope in glory to be exalted to glory one day. For that is the final peace. As do I, havers will have more, and havers not will lose all. Only by the death of the seed, as Jesus teaches in John 12, will he be joined by any in glory. The seed is alone until it dies. But then it lives and brings many the glory. Brethren, Christ died for our sins. God made him sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in him. This double imputation of God, transferring your sins to Christ, and he suffering for them in your place, that you might have his righteousness put to your account. That is the gospel of God's grace, so that you might go free and live. Do you have this grace? Do you, have you received God's gospel of grace to you. If you do, then it ought to be sufficiently clear to you by now that this grace promises more in the form of a glorious change when Christ returns and brings in his kingdom in glory. Now seeing that, as our Lord says, it is all or it is nothing, that you either have God's grace or you don't have it, I want to give a mark to know whether you have it or not. And I think one mark is sufficient. Now I know, though, that you are an imperfect judge of your own heart, as well as the hearts of others. but that God is a perfect judge of all of our hearts. So I pray then that God would give you help to judge your own heart and add his testimony to yours. The mark I ask you to judge yourself by is this. Do you have the spirit of Christ? Do you have the spirit of Christ? Paul says in Romans 8, 9, and I read, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. How then can you hope for more if you do not belong to Him? And this is significant, and it's significant as seen in another passage of Paul's, Colossians 1, 27, and I read, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ puts Himself in you by imparting His Spirit to you when you believe His Gospel, His sin-atoning death and resurrection. So all who have Christ's Spirit hope, and can hope, and do hope, and must hope in glory. And only they have this right. So how do you know that you have Christ's Spirit? by faith in the gospel, because no one can say Jesus is Lord and mean it without the Spirit. But seeing as false professors exist, can we be more certain whether we have the Spirit or not? And yes, we can, because Christ tells us, by their fruit you'll know sheep from wolves and sheep's clothing. If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will bear forth fruit and you will show the marks that you belong to him. And that alone will be the evidence of a true and living faith. Now what then are these fruits, right, of the Holy Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faith, goodness. and self-control. And I want to focus on one of these. Do you have joy? Which one did you think I was going to pick? Do you have joy? Do you have joy in the hope of the glory to come? Or are you stuck in the gloom of a worldly hope? Do you have joy in trials, in troubles, in afflictions, knowing that these are but some of the ways that your loving Heavenly Father, who reconciled you to Himself by the death of His Son, desires to make known His everlasting love for you? Or do you see only His hand of punishment upon you so that your ills make you bitter towards Him rather than drawing you nearer? By the way, this is coming out of Romans 5. I'm not making this up. Finally, do you have joy in God the Father through the work of Christ's atonement on your behalf, so that you break out in spontaneous praise for His grace. Maybe it's even tearful praise of His grace, how He could be so good to you. Or are you only hoping or happy with God when He gives you what you want, and then when He doesn't, you're not happy with Him? Do you have joy? Something that transcends anything that could happen here in this life because you know that Christ can never be taken away from you. Is that your joy? Scripture testifies that saints are full of joy for who their God is and for what he's done for them in Christ. and that this joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, received by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified. Search your heart, whether you have this joy or not, and you can search the other fruits too. And remember, just to be clear, if you fail in these, because our hope isn't in human works, that doesn't, take away from you that you have it. The true mess is by faith in Christ. But faith in Christ always leads to these being produced in your life. So if they are not there, you have not the Spirit of Christ. And you do not belong to Christ. It will tell you whether you have God's grace, that you might hope in more or not. And before I leave this, I want to say a word to our non-communicant and baptized children. All your effort should be towards making a profession of God's grace. And so coming to have your part in this table fellowship with Jesus Christ. Profession of faith is not just about professing the grace of God wrought on the cross for sinners. It is about that, but not just about that. But it's also about making a public profession of faith that God has wrought this grace in you. So that you can say with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me. Pay attention then to what you hear in the preaching of God's Word. And pray for understanding and for ears to hear. And then finally, brethren, let me wrap up by encouraging all of you who know this grace and have it, as well as to give a warning to you who do not. To those of you who have it, let me put you in remembrance that Christ has sown a seed in you that one day will flower into the very glory of God. And what he has sown in you, he will take care to water it and to nurture it. Age or accident cannot take it away. I wonder when God makes little seeds. No, they don't have minds. But I wonder if they ever lived in hope. What will I be one day? Do you live like that? What will I be one day when I see the flower of God's grace and glory fully in me? Let go of all the passing glory of this world and live in the wonder of seeing one day manifest to you and in you what glory is already germinating in you. Because that fruit of the Spirit, that's the glory of God coming out of you. Just like Jesus who was veiled in earth, he looked like only a man to those who had no faith, yet that power and the glory of God still came out of him. The Apostle still testified, we beheld his glory. Glory as the only begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And we saw these works of power. So in you too, that holy fruit coming out in your life is the evidence of that glory breaking out already in your life. Do not be saddened about aging bodies. Do not be saddened that we don't go on from strength to strength in this life and our outward way. but we fall to the grave, the glory in what God has done in you that does go from strength to strength, that seed of the gospel. To those of you who don't have, because you are sinfully not listening carefully to God, there is yet hope for you. God Almighty, in His grace, may still work to change your heart. Do not receive the grace of God offered to you this morning in vain in the gospel. Take Christ crucified for your sins now and live a new life. Because if you don't, then in the end, all you have will become chaff and you will be swept away and to the everlasting fires of hell. The world is passing away along with its desires, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Give God the glory, brothers and sisters, and God be gracious unto you all. Amen. Let's pray. O Lord, our God, what tongue can tell where no eye has seen, no ear has heard. What lies for those who believe your gospel, who hear with ears of faith your grace proclaimed to us this morning, sown in us like a seed, the very death of Christ for our sins. sent to you as a demonstration of your love for us, promising us a complete pardon of our sins and calling us back to you. O Lord, keep that seed sown into every faithful heart here this morning. Water it, protect it, nurture it, care for it. Bring forth its glory already as it's germinating in them more and more in their lives, that they may more and more hope in the glory to come. And, O Lord God, in your great and almighty grace, work in the hearts, if there be any here, of unbelieving soil, to soften them and to change it, that they might receive this word of your grace to them and return to you, O God, who loves them. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen.