The Servant King - Within You

Pastor Calvin Lee


(Con't) The servant king - within you


Mark 4:3-34


The Big Idea :

kingdom of God is not a place but within us


There are 4 parables in chapter 4 :
(1) The parable of the seed
(2) the parable of the Lamp
(3) the parable of the Seed growing
(4) the parable of the Mustard seed


4 places / conditions where the seed fell on :
(1)hard ground (a hardened heart)
- the word of God could not penetrate.
- the heart refuse to rethink the word of God

(2) rocky places (a shallow heart)
- superficial acceptance and then the word goes off
- full of emotional response but short lived

(3) among thorns (a crowded heart)
- good soil but somehow crowded with thorns, distracted heart with worldly things

(4) good soil (a fruitful heart)


4 principles / commitment that help us understand this parable :
(1) it is needful to keep ploughing the soil of our hearts
- we must not neglect to take out the thorns and weeds in our hearts
- we need to till and toil the soil in our hearts (jeremiah 4:3)

(2) the fruit in our lives is determined by the root of our lives
- don't focus so much on the external
- strengthen our roots by allowing the word of God to be grounded in our hearts
(Ephesians 3:17)
- if it is shallow, when wind and rain blows we'll be easily uprooted


(3) truth alone will not change lives. But truth applied will change lives
- hearing is not good enough (James 1:22)
- the seed/word must be firmly planted so into the hearts of men
- what is a good sermon?
B - that sermon must be biblically grounded
U - that sermon must unashamedly proclaimed the cross
I - that sermon must be insightful (fresh incarnation of the word)
L - that sermon must lived out / challenge you
D - that sermon must be delivered well with clarity and conviction

(4) when we allow God to reign in our hearts, miraculously the seed in us will grow and multiply
- there is power in the word therefore, when you allow the word to take root in your heart, the word will help you to grow and multiply powerfully
- the word will strengthen the faith inside our hearts
Psalm 1:1-3

Word of Season 2017

Pastor Benny Ho

Hebrews 12:26-29

Haggai 2:6-7

Haggai 2:9
1 Peter 2:4-5

Has God shake the nations?
- Yes.
- First Egypt on Pharaoh letting the people go.
- Followed by the Babylonians being removed so God's people the Israelites can be released after 70 years of captivity.
- Followed by the Persians came in and conquered the Babylonians.
- Followed by the Greeks came in and Conquered the Persians.
- Followed by the Romans came in and conquered the Greeks.

Why is God shaking the nations?
The end goal of all these shaking is so that God's house can be filled with glory, ie. (A) Second coming of Christ.

In the last days the wealth of the world will be transferred to God's people so that we will be filled with the resources to use for God's Kingdom extension, ie. (B) Desired things of the nation (transferred of wealth when unbeliever accepted the lord)
Revelation 7:9-10

(C) Souls of men to be saved
Matthew 24:14
1 Peter 2:4-5

The finger of God is moving the nations of the earth to fulfill His purpose and plans. He has done this since ancient days and He is still doing now. Our God is the ultimate mover and shaker of the nations and our lives.

Make hay while the sun shines. We need to be embolden and rise up and make Jesus famous in 2017

Leviticus 6:10-13
3 phrases to learn from this passage :
(1) Put on his linen clothes (linen clothes help to reduce perspiration)
- Depend on Holy Spirit. We are a spirit, we have a soul (think, want, feel). We live in a body (physical world).

(2) Take out the ashes
- To reveal what may have been helpful or useful in the past but needs to be removed now. Or perhaps a complacent lifestyle. Meaning message remains the same but methodology change. "Neoteny" is about the retention of qualities associated with youth like curiosity, playfulness, zest, eagerness, fearlessness, warmth, energy, openess etc.
Proverbs 20:29

(3) Add firewood (the fire can only keep burning if we add new firewood)
- We cannot rely on past anointing or glory. Enquire of the Lord day by day, moment by moment. Rekindle a fresh presence of the Lord, only then we can keep the fire burning.

Yup! This is life...

but God is doing something in my life and in my situation and waiting is just part of this process. While we wait it's always difficult. God has a purpose in every single one of those things. Life is a long war, but that doesn't mean God is not there. God is in our long ware, we will get stronger when we go through it. God is trying to build our character, waiting teaches us patience and perseverence. Embrace the process that God is taking you through.