A Promise and a Warning

In Mark 4:23 Jesus tells His disciples to hear, to listen. In verse 24 He asks for more.
24 And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to."

Or consider carefully what you hear…Don’t just listen!!! The passage continues:

By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
25 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

How will these disciples respond to the light of Jesus, and the Word of the Kingdom? Passively, or actively.

By your standard of measure it will be measured to you (24b)
What they pour out from their life will be poured out back to them.

The same is true for the believer today.

Here’s a timeless, kingdom principle: You will reap what you sow.

If you pour out your life for the kingdom of God, God will pour back to you, to that same measure.
and more will be given you besides (24b).


If you are faithful with what God has given to you…He gives you more.
If we are not…He takes the hidden talent away.
NO!!! I'm not talking health and wealth (the prosperity gospel).

MORE of WHAT? More Truth to apply to your life.
He gives us a greater desire and urgency to glorify God.
A greater compelling capacity to love Him.
A heart wrenching, yet wonderful capacity to love others…to expend our lives for them.

God has given to you and I the responsibility here to do…or not do.
Here’s that relationship between the sovereignty of God and our responsibility.
Here’s the tension where God's Word says,
he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).
But we read shortly after this,

12...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (live it out, pour it out)
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

It’s His power. It’s our choice to measure out, to pour out ourselves to do the Word.

Jesus is not looking for passive listeners. He wants active listeners.
He’s drafted us to the team.
John 15:16
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit,


And to those Christians who just will not give their lives away…will lose what they have.

They’ll lose everything they might have had in Jesus.
They become mired more deeply in indifference, biblical ignorance.
Becoming spiritually insensitive.
There's little worse than to see a Christian loving the world.

SO THIS PARABLE IS BOTH A PROMISE AND A WARNING.