In this sermon, Pastor Babij explains Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed. This parable, too, speaks of God’s Kingdom, and how a humble and insignificant looking beginning will later result in a globally significant dominion containing all nations of the earth. Pastor Babij also summarizes the parables presented in Mark 4 and asks how Jesus wants us to respond.
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
alright let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to the Gospel of Mark the gospel for and we’ll be looking at verses 32 34 this morning let me read it mark chapter 4 verse 32 34 and he said how shall we picture the kingdom of God or by what parable shall we presented it is like a mustard seed which when sown upon the soil though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade with many such parables he was speaking the word to them so far as they were able to hear it and he did not speak to them without a parable but he was extinct disciples let’s pray lord thank you this morning again for allowing us to be in the Word of God to have the Word of God to listen to it give us ears to hear to be able to properly handle the Word of God but Lord just the practical application of it that we may know the truth of the word of God that we may know the meaning of it that we may know what we should be doing as believers help us to now understand it and do it and I pray that it would be done to the glow of your name Christ I pray amen so again remember Jesus is by the sea excuse me the lake of Galilee even though it’s called the sea alright where as he is there they said that in this area this is where the Sermon on the Mount was being given to so when he gives these parables it’s when the fields give promise of a harvest to be gathered in in due time that Jesus began to speak in parables concerning the secrets of the kingdom of God something that is kept secret for a long time and then unveiled by the Lord and that’s what’s going on here and so he is teaching them remember in parables a comparison and analogy an earthly story with the heavenly meaning and so far we have looked at the parable of the sower or betel better the soils secondly the parable of the lamp third the parable of the growing seed and usually the growing seed and the parable the mustard seed kind of go together as one parable and each of these parables remember is showing that the kingdom of God will grow by the power of God until it takes every true disciple from every people group in every nation so we’re looking this morning at the parable of the mustard seed or the tiny mustard seed and remember the mystery phase of the kingdom of God has some progressive things to it it has some hidden things to it and it has some dynamic facets to it and it has some very strange things to it alright so this morning there are actually two things that are we’re looking at with several sub points the first is that God’s kingdom program will experience extensive yet hidden growth and that’s what we read here in this portion of Scripture so let me move on to some of the details of this passage of this parable the first thing is this the smallness of the seed if you look at verse number 31 it says and it is like a mustard seed which when sown upon the soil though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil so the mustard seed was the smallest of garden seeds use in of course first the first century by the first century Jewish farmer the mustard seed was often referred to in the Jewish Mishnah as an illustration of something quite little quite tiny in fact in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 17 jesus uses the mustard seed in a proverbial way where he says to them because of the littleness of your faith for truly I say to you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you so in that proverbial sense Jesus is still using it like that this is of course remember not a conclusive botanical statement on the smallest seed in the world but it was the small seed at that particular time where the farmers would use the seed and sometimes would grow wild so the focus is the smallness and insignificant beginnings of the mustard seed now how can something so small produce anything grand several different influential groups have already made a decision about Jesus ministry and the perception that he may be the Messiah remember his family members have concluded that he had overstepped his boundaries and have has really taken leave of his sentence senses and is out of his mind and needs some time of rnr and maybe some therapeutic counseling and that’s what it says in of course chapter 3 verse 21 he says when his own people heard of this they went out and to take custody of him to seize him for they were saying he has lost his senses a second a group of people were religious leaders and they just concluded Jesus was also insane and he was possessed by an evil spirit and then of course all the others had come to get close enough to Jesus to touch him so they can be healed or maybe as we go on in the gospel to have a Jesus perform a miracle and feed everybody so they were there for the food and it becomes very apparent that the crowd thought that Jesus was mad most of them or that he was just the man and they were starting to conclude that his ministry was really insignificant they were not seeing anything really great about it because remember the concept in the mindset of the day was the kingdom was going to come with all his fullness and power and here’s Jesus just the man teaching these things and the people seeing his healing yes part it should be showing the kingdom of God is coming but seeing those things but now it’s been some time that they’ve been around him and they’re not really getting thrilled too much about he what he’s doing and so they’re concluding that what he’s doing is insignificant and for sure not many people wanted to be part of anything insignificant they wanted to be part of something great they wanted to be part of something big everybody does but it’s at this very juncture that this parable makes a contrast between the insignificant mustard seed and the full-grown plant that it produces so the second thing in the details is in verse number 32 of chapter four and that’s the greatness of the plant and it says there yet it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants so a very small seed grows into a sizable plants one larger than all the plants of the garden in its mature state and becomes literally as Matt as actually Matthew brings out it becomes a tree it becomes that extensive so Jesus draws an analogy between the mustards bush microscopic beginnings and its large mature state in other words the smallest seed produces something completely out of proportion to itself so like the mustard seed remember he’s talking about the kingdom of God the kingdom would begin very small but it would end in of a grand mature state the many who had fallen into the group that thought it was insignificant would of course be be proven wrong in the days of its full appearance or as full maturity so everyone wants to be part of something grand not many you want to be part of humble beginnings however if they get the sense of what Jesus is saying they would come to know that humble beginnings humble ministry will finish with tremendous and great results but they have to get it they have to get the whole thing because if they don’t then they’re going to conclude like the people work including insignificant a little nothing spectacular just maybe another teachers come along so see the kingdom of God starts off small at christ first come first coming matta fact at his first comedy coming you don’t really see the how were and the glory and the majesty that’s going to be but at his second coming all the world will see the kingdom of God has grown to the point that it will see Christ’s Kingdom surpass all of the Earth’s kingdoms in its power in its glory and it’s in His Majesty so again one must have faith to believe that one must have faith to live within that context and there’s a very important reason Jesus is teaching this this way to his disciples because remember they’re going to go out into the highways and byways and preach the gospel but are they going to be received everywhere they go no they’re going to be mocked and ridiculed and they’re going to be stoned and they’re going to be killed so unless they have this future perspective in their mind they will soon give up and conclude with the rest of the group that this is really insignificant in Christ’s ministry is insignificant but the next section that we will look at in our text is is really a section that supports this view for look what it says in verse number 32 the last part of that verse in other words that this next the third thing is that the birds roosting in the branches just fills out the picture of the tiny seed growing into a tree where it says this in verse 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches but then notice the result so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade now many interpretations have been given to this but I’ll not go into those right now what I believe and what is saying here is that actually this is a common representation of kingdoms from the old test the men that a tree whose wide spreading branches afforded lodgement to the birds of heaven was a familiar old testament figure for a mighty Kingdom that provided shelter to the nation’s so let’s take our Bibles for a minute and tarrant turn back to Ezekiel the prophet Ezekiel and the Old Testament and then we’ll look at Daniel because Ezekiel remember speaking of the kingdom of Assyria wrote something quite similar it was something where the kingdom provided shelter to the other nations and I want you to notice the language that it uses in Ezekiel 31 and verse number 6 Ezekiel 31 and verse number 6 it says in all the birds of the heavens nested in its boughs and under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth and all great nations lived under its shade in other words that the kingdom of Assyria was providing this shelter for other nations and this protection for others nations where they came and nested there now nesting is really a picture of something not something rear a person is getting a benefit they’re getting a protection they’re getting something we’re like a bird when they make their nest they put their young it in and they protect that nest and so that’s what the picture is being given they’re also in the prophet Daniel you don’t need to turn to this one but in Daniel chapter 4 verse 10 it says kind of the same thing in in verse number 12 it says its foliage was beautiful and it’s fruit abundant and it was food for all the beasts of the field found shade under it and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches and all living creatures fed themselves from it in other words that again the picture is that the nation the kingdom of Babylon is supplying this nesting this protection this shelter for the other nations that are around them and they come under that of course that is something that is a picture there and so I believe that in the parables that’s exactly what he’s doing he is saying that when the nation when the kingdom of God gets huge and it becomes visible it’s going to be a shelter to the nations of the world then we see this in other passage of scriptures to but I have no time to go there I’ll pick them up later in this gospel but there is one place I want you to turn in Ezekiel and that’s Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 23 and 24 because this passage is really a passage that illustrates the Messianic Kingdom and notice in these two verses Ezekiel 17 verse 23 in verse 24 it says on the high mountain of Israel I shall plant it that it may bring forth bows and bear fruit and become a stately cedar and birds of every kind will nest under it they will nest in the shade of its branches in verse 24 and all the trees now the trees being referenced to the nations of the field will know that I am the lord so this is going to be a worldwide thing where people are going to come in and find shelter under the kingdom of God so these verses picture a great Kingdom as large as large as trees with birds flocking to its branches the kingdom’s start off of course this kingdom starts off seemingly small and insignificant but in the end it grows and who will be extensive it will be a great Kingdom and the other kingdoms of the world will in the end benefit from its greatness so the nesting of the birds in the branches is a symbol of the formation of Imperial control over many people’s the inclusion of many nations into the future kingdom of God all peoples of the world are going to be there and all nations will enter in and in actually enjoying it joy at find nests ting in it another person added the kingdom would grow from tiny beginnings to a great tree and would ultimately provide shelter protection and benefit to the entire world so in other words this is giving us true disciples an understanding of the mystery phase of the kingdom and the mystery of phase of the kingdom is go and have some evil aspects intermingled with it it’s going to have some opposition to it for example the hardness of men’s hearts as we saw in the parable of the soil and that of course Satan planting his workers right along true wheat in the church aids so within the spiritual part of the kingdom which is the church age that his kingdom will start small but will spread in power and influence and become victorious so pretty much that is the the package that Jesus is given to those who are there by the seed listening to him and now what it’s doing L it’s doing something else besides just explaining that the kingdom is going to become large and it’s going to provide shelter for other nations and this is what he always does in the parables which is an amazing thing I believe he narrows he’s narrowing down in other words the parables remember are almost a teaching that’s going to divide people it’s going to put a separation between two groups of people that’s what it’s always doing it’s separating the people and it’s causing them it’s putting them in a position to make a decision do I want to be part of this what I think insignificant tiny beginning which I don’t see going anywhere or am I going to understand that this tiny beginning this humble beginning is going to turn into something grand over here and I want to be part of that and it’s going to take faith to be part of that see that’s what the parable is doing and so that’s exactly what goes on in verse number 33 notice what it says in mark chapter 4 verse 33 now this is the 10th time that the Lord is talking about hearing and look what he says with many such parables he was teaching the word to them so far as they were able to hear it so even though the people were there listening and of course Jesus being the good teacher is leaking out the information not giving it to them all at once because he said he has other parables that he’s going to take care of so what makes a person a able listener what makes a person able to hear well so far we saw that it’s the person who has active listening active listening enlightens the mind active listening creates a desire to understand understand what understand the role of the kingdom of God to understand the nature of the kingdom of God to understand that Christ and the Word of God play what it would they play the development of the kingdom of God that remember Jesus ministry is about preaching that’s his main thing he’s teaching it’s not about his miracles it’s about his teaching that’s going to be the main thing so look at what it says that Jesus is teaching and he did not speak to them without a parable now so Jesus Christ remember must preach the kingdom for the purpose that’s for that purpose he came into the world only the presentation of that Kingdom must now be for a decision it must be we must separate two classes of people remember there’s going to be the insiders right and who are the insiders those are the ones who listen actively and it leads them to a clearer understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom but then there are the other class and that’s the outsiders and outsiders of course would now regard these mysteries as wholly untellable unintelligible hard to believe and even now to be rejected by them and the ground of this really lays in the respective positions that these two classes have towards the kingdom of God so the mysteries the mysterious manner in which they were presented in the parables the mysteries of the kingdom are now set forth not just an initial instruction but in final decision you must make a choice about Christ you must make a choice about the kingdom of God I remember if we go back in our our text to verse number 11 that we see that the outsiders fail to listen it doesn’t mean that they don’t have ears they just don’t understand what they hear because they have concluded in their mind otherwise not everyone was given the understanding about the mysteries of the kingdom of God and if you look at verse 11 it says but those who are outside get everything in parables verse 12 and here is the prophetic nature of Jesus teaching in verse 12 of chapter 4 so that while seeing they may see and not perceive while hearing they may hear and not understand otherwise they might return and be forgiven so he he said to them do you not understand this parable how will you understand all the parables so the outsiders who are not listening actively who are coming to different conclusions get no more explanation from Jesus as long as they follow Jesus for the wrong reasons as long as they remain in unbelief and resist the gospel they will not receive any more revelation if they did according to chapter 4 verse number 13 and four they would get more they would they would be able to return and be forgiven but that’s not the case here the persons who fail to listen will not be enlightened by the Word of God nor will they desire to understand the nature of the kingdom of God so active listening determines whether a person is an outsider or they are insider weather and if they are insider we will know that they will desire fellowship with Jesus and they will desire also a fuller understanding of the kingdom of God now just in our minds remember the two groups that are outsiders ruler there’s one group there’s only two groups insiders and outsiders but the outsiders from chapter 3 verse 21 were Jesus family remember who seemed to misunderstand him in the beginning and so they concluded that he needed some help because he was insane as I mentioned already but remember outsiders can become insiders if they repent and believe the gospel they don’t have to stay in that position but then of course there’s a group of outsiders like the religious leaders who were critics who accuse Jesus of being a sorcerer and because in cahoots with Satan they would be of course Jesus opponents and they are the ones who are not listening they have concluded against Jesus but again going back the insiders are the ones who do what in verse number nine look at verse number 9 of chapter 4 of the Gospel of Mark it says and he was saying he who has ears to hear let him hear so some were given understanding from this spiritually rich agricultural story others were withheld from having understanding and who are the ones who were given understanding well it were the people in chapter 3 of the Gospel of Mark who were sitting at Jesus feet they were the ones who as it says in chapter 3 verse 32 a crowd was sitting around him and they were saying to him behold your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you and he finally said to them well hey who are my mother and my brothers and he says and whoever does the will of god he is my brother my sister and my mother and those were the ones who were sitting listening wanting to understand what Jesus was saying about the kingdom of God because they were growing in faith one theologian said these words were not a repudiation by Jesus of his mother and brothers instead they were a profound teaching about union with Christ Jesus declared to those who believed in him and do God’s will they have a relationship with him that is closer than blood relationships between parents children and siblings so here’s the point if you want to be considered to be an insider you have to be spiritually related to Jesus to have entrance into the kingdom of God and by doing the will of God so how does such obedience begin well it begins by believing in Jesus chapter one of Mark repent of your sin believe in Jesus Christ so by the preaching of the word of God the Scriptures reveal the status and the dignity and the significance of Jesus Christ it is clear that Jesus is the central person and focus of God’s person God’s programs we before salvation of men and women of all people who would believe so believing the gospel means to obey the message concerning our Lord Jesus Christ he is the son of God he is God’s own an only way of salvation that God sent Jesus to the cross that God put all our sins on him and punished them in him and so the people come to believe that truth and because of that they become the insiders they become the ones who want to have more of what Jesus is saying so so either a person is going to be depending on their own righteousness to enter the kingdom of God which they can’t enter with or they’re going to have to depend on God’s righteousness in which we can enter the kingdom of God and enter it in with joy so most thing that entry into the kingdom of God is predicated on the prerequisite of human righteousness and obedience however the kingdom of God is not a matter of human effort it’s a matter of what God believing what God has already accomplished and already done and that’s faith no one can enter the kingdom of God without repentance without fleeing from sin and putting trust in Christ alone in essence your response must be to repent and to believe so to be in the in crowd you cannot waffle on these imperatives for entry into the kingdom of God once you enter you will also be in the crowd that is sitting around Jesus learning from him worshiping him growing in love for God and others and following him with the understanding that his kingdom is going to start off in significant and small and you’re in that time and you know what we’re still in that time we’re still in the time oh yes the church grown the church has become huge but the church has grown with many variables to it and so well let’s look at chapter 4 in verse number 34 take notice what it says here and he did not speak to them without a parable notice but he was explaining everything privately to who to his disciples to who the in crowd to who those who have believed in Jesus Christ by repentance and faith and what were they doing they were learning from him they were worshiping him they were growing in love for God and others that’s what they were doing they were sitting around him and how privileged it is for you to be called in the passage his own disciples meaning that i own them they are mine i bought them they are part of my family they are my family and where I go I will bring them with me but right now you can’t come with me he says to his disciples you got to do the unfinished work of Christ you have to stay here until I finish everything so see are you a true Jesus are you a true disciple of Jesus would be the question to ask does the father see you actively listening does the father see you sitting at Jesus Christ desiring to understand and no more does the father see you serving well further explanation is only given to those in close communion and connection to Jesus Christ so there is a special place for his disciples there’s a special place for the insiders who experienced the kingdom of God and not only that could you imagine privately meeting with Jesus any questions you have and ask him and he will give you the answers directly not by parallel directly because he wanted his children to know exactly what he was doing in the world so that they would not be confused about his program so that they not would not give lose hope concerning his program even when faced with persecution they would not throw in the towel why because they were given the understanding of what God was actually doing in the world concerning the kingdom of God so now that true disciples know that they are living in the seed sowing times where the kingdom of God is still obscure and still hidden since Jesus began the process two thousand or so years ago and handed it off to his apostles to continue it and they handed it off to their disciples that came after them and they handed it off to the next generation right up to our present time so they see this parable is just as applicable to us it was to them even though the church has grown quite large it’s not the church that takes over the world it is the kingdom that does so we are still part of the seed sowing time and that is during the Explorer and hidden growth of the kingdom of god yes the church has grown in size but in with many peculiar era T’s to it like it says in Matthew the wheat and the tears grow together until the end of harvest so this is what true disciples know they know these things so that they are to be servants so they are to be patient so they are to be faithful so they are to be workers until the end but not everybody concludes that because the temptation could be while we’re living in the in-between time where the kingdom behind the scene is growing and the church is bringing people into it by the preaching the gospel of repentance and faith in the in-between time there could be people who become bewildered and become impatient and they conclude like the scoffers conclude in second Peter chapter 3 you know what it was right the scoffers concluded that nothing’s really changed and with this is what it says in second Peter it says know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of the kingdom where is it we’ve been looking for it we don’t see anything where’s the promise of the kingdom and then it goes on to say forever since the father’s fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation of course they forgot about the flood in that passage of Scripture and they didn’t realize that the next time God brings judgment it’s going to be by fire it’s going to be where the Lord brings is a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up that’s what’s coming I’m remember that’s going to be part of the harvest because the harvest has the good part of it and has the judgment part of it like I mentioned last week so some may conclude nothing’s really changed it’s all the same some may search for something more stable what that is I don’t know it could be power it could be wealth it could be government it could be false messiahs who have promises that Jesus didn’t bring give people hope that he did not teach so some some somebody’s going to search for something more stable but there’s nothing more stable a true disciples knows there’s nothing more stable than in believing in Christ there’s nothing more stable than what he is establishing he’s telling us how he’s doing it so we don’t have to be taken by surprise others will search out something more promising now you say well who’s going to do that well you remember John the Baptist’s when he was put in prison John the Baptist when he was put in prison heard of the works of Christ the Bible says and he sent word to Christ’s disciples and he said to them are you the expected one or shall we look for someone else even John the Baptist when he was incarcerated alone in a dungeon type of place was asking the question are you the Christ and then how did Christ answer John the Baptist this is how he answered him jesus said to them go and report to John what you hear and see the blind receives sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the Deaf hear the dead are raised up the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is he who does not take offense at me he just clears away he’s clear he’s saying exactly what he was doing what the gospel say what we’re learning right now that’s what the answer the answer Jesus would give to us if we say are you the one or is there another Messiah that we should look for he would say the same thing well look at the Gospels that’s exactly what the gospel teach some will worry and Fred some are good at worrying they think worrying worry is going to accomplish something it accomplishes nothing except ruining your health both spiritually and physically and remember what the gospel Matthew says for this reason I said you do not worry about your life as to what you will eat or what you will drink nor to your body as to what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing and then Jesus of course concludes so do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself each day has enough trouble of its own does it not have we not learned that yet why drag your worry from yesterday into today and then bring it into the next day when Jesus says listen to all the things that Gentiles worry about you know where am I going to live when I where you know can I pay my bills I will provide to you if you’re faithful put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and i will add those things to your life so you don’t have to worry about them you don’t have to fret about them I will do that so you have to trust the Lord will and others will invest their time talents and efforts for this life on the broad road where Jesus were it says in gospel of matthew enter the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many many who enter through it for the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it and who are who are the ones who find it there are the ones who have ears to hear and listen actively to the message and respond to it as God cultivates that heart to receive the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and people end up believing and being saved so in conclusion what are the insiders beginning to understand what these three parables well the parable of the sower what are they understanding there the only person who’s able to enter the kingdom of God is the person who has ears to hear the true meaning their ears hear the message of the gospel of the kingdom and their heart receives the message of the gospel of the kingdom by repentance of their sin and trust and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of those sins and eternal life and then these continue to follow Christ throughout their life and bear fruit of genuine repentance and salvation throughout their life until the Lord takes them away so the parable of the sower is a person who was receptive and receives the truth the power Belov the lamp is the person who doesn’t hide the lamp under something but puts it up on a pedestal so all can be illuminated and of course Jesus concluded that particular parable of the lamp with about hearing again he said good hearers receive and get more bad hearers reject and lose little they once had and then of course that parable would mean listen keep listening and keep receiving and then the parable of the growing seed casting seed for growth is in the power of the word of God the seed is the word of God the seed will do all the work you need to do is just cast it proclaim it get it out there get it to your neighbors your friends your families anybody you can your coworkers get it out there and let the Word of God do its work but get it out there and the K and the word of the seed has a mystery grow through it that the word will produce growth remember the person who cast the seed goes to sleep they don’t worry about the sea and the seed grows in the ground and it sprouts up and of course what what does it mean in that the power of the growing seed it has a definite harvest to it that the word brings a shore harvest of souls who are born again into the kingdom and it brings a harvest of judgment on those who are not born again and then of course that means to be ready be ready and then the parable of muster see that the kingdom of heaven would grow from a tiny beginning to a great tree kingdom and would ultimately provide shelter protection and benefit to entire world so in that sense to be faithful to be patient and to be serving that’s what we ought to do so that is what real true disciples understand and that’s how they live their life they live their life so we’ll persecution coming even our day yes it may may we someday lose our life lose our job lose something because of Christ yes we may all right but in our mind there’s something happening behind the scenes and there’s hung something happening over here and we are going to be part of a grand and glorious explosion of the kingdom of God where Christ will reign over the whole world and we will be in his kingdom see that is the hope that we have so from now until then I don’t know if we’re 2000 some years into it who knows how long the Lord’s going to Terry it seems like the world has gone absolutely berserk everywhere worldwide not just here not just down here worldwide people are crazy and going and governments are doing wacky things and it just seems like it’s all being set up for the end times and they may be right on our heels so please don’t give up don’t throw in the towel continue to march continue to press on continue to grow in faith in Jesus Christ right because what Jesus says is true all everyone else is a liar but he is true alright so that’s what we ought to do we are continue on be faithful be casting seed be growing in our knowledge of Jesus Christ and be waiting for remember waiting for anticipating the coming of Christ right he may come for us in debt first but even if he comes for us in death we’re coming back with him right but he comes and for some reason we’re going to be alive and remain like it says in Thessalonians well then we may never die physically or otherwise we may just go with Jesus and be within its kingdom forever and ever that would be a glorious thing I don’t know who those are I hope I’m one of them i don’t know but nonetheless that we live in those days we live in those days and you know what you have the inside scoop so you have no excuse neither do i let’s pray lord thanks again for the tremendous incredible awesome Word of God we praise you Lord for it we thank you for these parables how how they were designed what their purpose was how they really do push people to make a decision there’s no straddling the fence there’s no Lake they can’t stay neutral for long even the ones who were the outside group like his family we know from the Gospels that many of them came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior after the resurrection and so lord if someone’s still here in the outside group i pray you bring him in by repentance and faith that Jesus Christ is the only way to be born again and to enter the kingdom of God and I pray you would save them for us who are saved who know or saved who have been born again Lord don’t allow us to lose hope don’t allow us to be captured by doubt don’t allow us to be intrigued by some person that may come on the scene that seems to have the answer and is skilled in their rhetoric don’t let us get pulled away helps to stick to what the Word of God says and live our life accordingly so Lord we would be all those things we would be receptive Lord we would be faithful we would be ready and we would be working and serving and patient until you conclude your program that we would write to the end serve you and love you and learn more about what your plan is thank you lord this morning for the word of god bless us and encourage us by in Christ’s name I pray amen