Mark 4:21  And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22  For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24  And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25  For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

The Word of God is THE AUTHORITY for the world, but the world is trying to ignore this Book. Born Again Christians need to submit to the authority of the Word of God. In today’s text we see Jesus address a problem that was there in His time and is still a major problem today. There are many lost people who profess to be Christians. Some of them have platforms to promote themselves across the world. They get into the music world or they go around as false teachers.
Too often those who profess to be saved hide their light under a bushel. A true child of God is going to stick out like a sore thumb in society. There is a man running for the leadership of the conservative party in Manitoba right now. I would never have known the man is a professing Christian if I had not received an email asking that I support him in his bid. Anything I have read about him in the media has not suggested anything about him being a Christian man. He is obviously a compromised man in order to try to become the leader of a political party. The party policies do not agree with what the Bible declares.
Why would God save a person so that they can hide? Too many professing Christians believe their salvation is not that significant. True salvation is life-changing. The changes cannot be hidden. We do need to tell others about the Lord. However, it should be evident in all that we do, that we are born again. The world is not interested in the truth; that is quite obvious. However, that does not mean we should be quiet. Jesus was constantly teaching people. The apostles were also busy meeting with people and teaching them the truth. We need to be making God’s truth available.
In today’s world it has become very difficult to publish truth in the newspapers. The fee for publishing any truth has been set quite high. The internet is a blessing in that it is still possible to publish on that venue at quite a reasonable cost. God has blessed us with an opening in many countries through this venue. Then of course there is also the personal contact with people through the local church and in the community.
Jesus declared that nothing is hidden. Light is designed to expose the sin. Sin is not comfortable with being exposed. More and more sin is coming out in the open, but it does not want to be exposed as sin. It wants to be accepted as normal. Many young people are being corrupted by the sodomite agenda. Governments and even some churches are adopting the lies being promoted by that small but very vocal community.
Jesus tells us that everything will be manifested. “Secret” Christians will be exposed. God will not allow His child to remain hidden. If a person is saved, they must shine for the Lord. The Light must come through.
In verse 23 we see the need to pay attention to God’s Word. Those who want to blend into the culture will not be allowed to do that, if they are truly saved. Those who manage to do so prove they are not God’s child.
In verses 24-25 Jesus addressed the importance of discernment. It is quite easy to get on the internet and start surfing. There are many sights to click on. Most are not worth the effort to click on them. Yet most professing Christians lack discernment. There are people who ask me about certain sites and certain people. Some of them I have heard of and others are new to me. I tell people there are some quite simple ways to determine what site to listen to and what to stay away from.
The person that is busy surfing, is obviously lacking something. The danger is in lacking the discernment needed to carefully choose what you will listen to. Much of the spiritual nourishment that a true child of God needs should come from his or her local church. It is of great importance that the person be a part of a true, local church.
You need to determine what authority the person you are listening to, is using. If they are not strictly King James, they are not worth listening to. Someone who does not have respect for the Word of God is not trustworthy. It is important to read the “about” of that person or sight. What is their theology? The Bereans searched the Scripture daily to see if what the apostles were saying was true. Yes, that takes time. It is necessary to be sure you are being fed the truth.
Then it is important to note what type of music they use. CCM is a slippery slope that will lead to other false teaching. It is also important to look at the modesty or the immodesty of the site. How does the writer or speaker present themselves? If they cannot submit themselves to God’s standard in modesty, they will not submit themselves to God’s standard in anything.
Jesus warns us that we will be judged according to His righteous standard. God cannot reward carnality. He does not give more light to a person who refuses the light already given him. The writer of the book of Hebrews warned about those who should be eating meat, but still need to be fed milk. If you are committed to remain in a compromised church you cannot grow. If you are committed to remain out of church you cannot grow. If you do not care about the perversions, you cannot grow either. There is a danger of exposing the fact you are not even saved if you want to continue to resist God’s will for you.
Verse 25 warns us of the danger of carnality. A weak Christian will become weaker if that person persists in his deception. Lot was a just man. However, his life was not something anyone could benefit from. He is not a testimony worth following. He is used as a warning of what not to do. His daughters were not given any good counsel by him. Nations were born out of him that were a curse to the nation of Israel.
The apostle Paul was directed to warn of men who chose the wrong way and the result of their bad choices. I Corinthians 3 warns of those who will be saved “though as by fire”. That is not written as a justification for carnality. It is written to warn against carnality. Those who are genuinely saved will be challenged by the indwelling Holy Spirit. He will not allow the true child of God to be content in their compromised state. There are many today who are content with their ungodly ways. They demonstrate what is going on in their hearts. God is the judge, not man. All we are told to do is to live by the Word of God. As we do that, It will expose the frauds. Be sure you know the truth and are walking in the truth.
Pastor Bartel