SOAP on Mark 4

By Pastor Mike Brubaker

SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:1-20 (especially verse 9)
"And Jesus was saying, "He (or she) who has ears to hear, let them hear."

OBSERVATION:
- A repeat of the thought, "Listen to this!" in verse 3.
- It is more than a thought ... it's an exhortation, "Hear this."
- If you have ears ... use them. An expression in Biblical times "don't miss this" or "catch this."
- Not the repetition ... verses 3, 9 & 23 all in the same chapter of Mark.
- Contrast with the people in the Old Testament and New Testament who listened to the Word of the Lord but did not truly hear it ... they did not understand it, more did they obey it. Very tragic!
- There is an implication here about Jesus. He is claiming to be the Authoritative One saying this parable about the Sower & the Seed ... listen to Him as the Lord! The way we know that about Jesus' Authority is this clause ... "he who has an ear let him hear" is used at least 7 times at the end of each message to the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 2 & 3.

APPLICATION:
- Mike (and church family) ... use your ears to truly hear this parable!
- Mike, (and church family) ... don't miss this!
- Mike, (and church family) ... I, the Lord of the Word and the Lord of the church have given you spiritual understanding ... now use it!
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are sowers of the seed (v. 14), the seed is the Word of God, now go sow the Word in people's lives.
- Mike, (and church family) ... hear this, preach it & teach it; know it & show it; live it & give it and say it & pray it.
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are not responsible for the soil in other people's lives ... you are responsible only for the soil of your own life
- Mike, (and church family) ... sow the Word regularly into the soil of other lives.

PRAYER:
Lord God, help me to submit my heart to King Jesus and receive this teaching from Him. Lord, forgive me when I keep the seed (Word of God) from other people out of fear or busyness. May I humbly and daily, truly listen to you, Lord, and obey Your Word.
Lord God, please give us receptive hearts and listening ears to understand and obey Your Word through Pastor Eric on Sunday, May 6! Amen.

Thanksgiving ... A Favorite Time of Year!

By Pastor Mike

What a great time of year! Thanksgiving! I love the cool, crisp weather…the anticipation of deer hunting with my brothers and nephews the week after Thanksgiving…and the Thanksgiving Dinner with family.

However, the eternal dimension is very significant! Psalm 136:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting,” He is worthy of our thanks and praise!

It is important to note…that Thanksgiving Day is a cultural holiday. Yet we need to be reminded that the practice of giving thanks is part of our daily spiritual disciplines. So may we ask God to use the cultural holiday for His glory to give us opportunities to praise Him!

Speaking of opportunities…Wednesday, November 23 at 7:00pm is our Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service. It is a powerful time of worship to God through testimonies, Scripture reading, special music, congregational singing, offering for needy people and video clips. Hope you can make it!

Help & Hope for Parents

By Pastor Mike Brubaker

Often Moms and Dads have asked me for suggestions and for help in parenting their children. They have asked for workshops or classes on parenting with a biblical and Christian perspective. Wow… here it is! On Saturday, November 12 and Monday, November 14 there are Parenting Conference Workshops here at Grace Community Church. Catherine Hickem, nationally known Christian author & speaker is our guest to lead these Workshops.

On Saturday, November 12 from 8:30am to 1:00pm Catherine will address the issue of “Parenting Adult Children.” And on Monday, November 14 from 9:00am to 11:30am she will address the issue: “Regret Free Parenting.” Please register through our website…www.gracetoday.org or call the church office… 301-473-4337 and speak with Brenda (x124) or Verlyn (x100). I love how the sovereign and providential plan of God brings Catherine Hickem to Grace at just the right time to offer hope & help in parenting!

Forgetful Man Walking

By Pastor Mike

“Living the Christian Life” from Colossians chapter 3 is the new message theme for Sundays here at Grace.  Last Sunday, April 11 Pastor R and Brenda Rota reminded us that the power for Christian living is derived from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I even preached on Easter about Jesus being the King of Glory, the King of Kings and declaring Jesus as My King.

But in the last 12 days since Easter I too often have forgotten the power and peace from the resurrected Savior and King.  Evidence of that forgetfulness is:  worrying about the birth of our granddaughter, worrying about the needs of people in our church family and being very inconsistent in my personal devotions.

Yesterday while making a pastoral visit at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, I walked through the old dome building of the hospital.  There is a beautiful 30 foot statue of Jesus with nail scarred hands open wide and under his nail-scarred feet are the words inscribed in the base of the sculpture: “Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”   (Matthew 11:28)

This forgetful man walking by that statue of Jesus needed that reminder!   How about you?

Dead Men Walking

By Pastor Mike

I have been challenged by God recently to die daily to myself! During the month of March the focus on the Cross of Jesus Christ has me thinking how I have been too self absorbed. Part of a recent message had me looking at 2 Corinthians 5:14 & 15.

‘For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

I am encouraged and stretched by the fact that since I trusted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, God looks at me as having died in Jesus Christ, yet God also looks at me as alive in Jesus Christ’s resurrection. See Romans 6:1-11 for a Biblical description of this. This dual spiritual reality makes me a “dead man walking.” In that death in Christ I have died to myself. I am to no longer live for myself BUT for Jesus who died on the cross and rose again for me.

Part of the ministry of the cross and Christ’s death on the cross is to release you and me from self-centered living to others-centered living! This means that I am:

• To step out of “my world” and into other people’s lives to show Jesus love.
• To step out of “focusing on my needs” toward touching other people’s needs with the love of Jesus.
• To step out of “my comfort zone” and to sacrifice for others and for Jesus’ sake.

So I am a “dead man walking” in order to honor and to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” See Galatians 2:20.

The Song says “my chains fell off, I’ve been set free (from myself and from sin); my God, my Savior has rescued me (from selfish living)…amazing love, amazing grace!”