The Marathon Mindset
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Today’s the last week in our series called ‘Cultivation’ which is all about reaching those far from God. It’s been about reaching those far from God, especially in a tough soiled city like East Orlando, and I don’t know about you but I have a bit of a sprinters mindset. I have a bit of a sprinters mindset, especially when it comes to life. When I workout I want results now not later. When I call customer service I want an operator now not 10 robotic voices later. When I search a page on the internet I want it to open now not later. I don’t want dial up speed, I want 5G speed, because I’m a 5G guy, with a 5G mindset, a sprinters mindset, and I think most of our culture has that same mindset. I think we’re a culture full of sprinters with sprinter mindsets. It’s why we have fast food not slow food. It’s why we have Insta-gram not Later-gram. It’s why we have Snap-chat not Babble-chat. It’s why what’s trending today isn’t gonna be trending tomorrow. It’s because we’re a fast speed, ADHD culture full of sprinters with sprinter mindsets...But when it comes to reaching people who are far from God...we can’t have that mindset. When it comes to reaching people far from God we can’t have a sprinter’s mindset where we just sprint in and out of people’s lives like it’s a trend on social media. I think both Christians and non-Christians would agree with that. I think we’d both agree that somebody who sprints in and out of our lives isn’t a very good friend. Somebody who sprints in, shows a little love, then sprints out hardly caring for the person again isn’t a very good friend. Sprinters don’t make for very good friends. But somebody who has a marathon mindset, somebody who’s willing to go the distance and stick around for the 10th, 15th, 20th mile when your legs start cramping, when the pains of life start setting in...that’s a good friend. A person with a marathon mindset who sticks around is a very good friend, and at City Awakening we want you to be good friends to the people in our city by having not a sprinters mindset, but a marathon mindset. We want you to show the people in our city that we’re here for the long haul regardless of their sin, struggles, or joys. We want you to show them that our friendship, our love, our care for them isn’t a trend that’s gonna be here one day, but gone the next. We want you to show them that our love’s a marathon not a sprint, and that’s what we’re gonna talk about today. Today we’re gonna talk about having a marathon mindset when it comes to reaching those far from God. So let’s turn to Mark 4:26-32 and get into it. The title of today’s message is “Marathon Mindset.” We need to have a marathon mindset when it comes to reaching those who are far from God.
Context:
Here’s your context. Last week Zack pulled us out of the gospel of Mark to teach us why we should want to reach those far from God, and today I’m gonna pull us back into Mark where this series began. We began this series in Mark 4 where we learned our 1st step in the cultivation process is to identify the soil. We need to identify the soil of the city and people we’re trying to reach, because once you know the soil you’ll know how to reach that soil. If the people and city are receptive to the gospel, then you share the gospel with them or invite them to church where they can hear the gospel. If they’re not receptive then you need to cultivate their hearts, you need to love them in ways that’ll loosen up their tough soiled hearts. So our 1st step in the cultivation process is to identify the soil, and the 2nd step we learned in Mark 2 which is to build friendships. It’s to build friendships. It’s to treat people like people, not projects. Jesus didn’t come to build projects out of people, he came to build friendships with people, and we need to do the same. We need to build friendships, not projects. So 1st we need to identify the soil, 2nd we need to build friendships, and our 3rd step in the cultivation process is to have a marathon mindset. It’s to have a marathon mindset, which is what Jesus is gonna teach us today. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Mark 4:26-32 states this, “And he said, ‘The kingdom of God...’” Okay let’s stop for a minute. Let’s stop to talk about The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is basically the presence of God ruling and reigning over heaven and earth, minus sin. It’s less about a place, and more about the presence of God ruling and reigning over heaven and earth, minus sin. Right now sin exists but a time’s coming when Jesus will return and sin won’t exist. A time’s coming when Jesus will return not as a servant to lay his life down for our sins, because he’s already done that. Instead he’s gonna return as a King to restore his Kingdom, to eradicate sin, and to eradicate the painful consequences that come with sin. Can you imagine what that’ll be like? Can you imagine what it’ll be like to live in a world without sin and the painful consequences of sin?...It’s gonna be a world free from all sin, sickness, suffering, and sadness. They’ll be no more wars, fighting, divorces, or family feuds. They’ll be no more depression over being single, no more depression over your life not turning out the way you wanted, they’ll be no more depression or mental health issues. They’ll be no more doctor visits, no more having to get up 50 times in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, they’ll be no more health issues at all, which means you won’t have to worry about what you can or can’t eat. It needs to be organic, gluten free, sugar free, cage free, Kale with pink Himalayan salt. Man I didn’t have to worry about all that growing up. I grew up eating Poptarts and Strawberry Yohoos. So I’m looking forward to the day when I don’t have to worry about any of that anymore...I’m looking forward to the day when Jesus returns as a King, to restore his Kingdom, to eradicate sin, and to eradicate all the painful consequences that come with sin never to return again. It’s gonna be a great day, an amazing day, but a day that’s only possible because of the presence of Jesus ruling and reigning as our King.
Look without his presence, without the presence of Jesus none of the joys of heaven will ever be possible, because it’s the presence of Jesus that produces the joys of Jesus...It’s the presence of Jesus that produces the joys of Jesus. Just read the historical biographies of Jesus, read the gospels, and you’ll see that when people came to Jesus they came full of sin, sickness, suffering, and sadness. But after being in the presence of Jesus, they walked away being freed from sin, sickness, suffering, and sadness. They walked away full of health, happiness, and joy. The historical biographies of Jesus give us a glimpse of what it’s gonna be like to stand in the presence of King Jesus when he returns to restore his kingdom once and for all. It’s gonna be a great day where those who worship him as King, will be set free from sin and filled with health, happiness, and joy. It’s all gonna be because of the presence of Jesus ruling and reigning over his Kingdom, and until Jesus returns, we’re to be his ambassadors like Zack said last week. We’re to be his ambassadors, we’re to spread the good news about his kingdom, we’re to continue the work Jesus began in restoring joy to his kingdom, and it’s gonna take time. It’s gonna take time for the kingdom to be fully restored, so we need to have a marathon mindset...We need to have a marathon mindset, because the gospel takes time to spread, but give it time, and it’ll spread. Jesus is about to teach us two parables to illustrate this point.
Again vs. 26, “And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.’ 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself...’” Notice Jesus says the earth produces ‘by itself.’ He says it produces ‘by itself,’ and the Greek word for ‘itself’ is ‘automatos.’ It’s where we get the word ‘automatically’ from, and what Jesus is saying is the earth produces automatically, it produces by itself, it produces without the need of any human efforts. It’s been that way since the beginning of creation. Seeds and crops have been growing long before human existence, long before the sciences or Miracle Grow. Humans don’t grow seeds, it’s the seeds that grow themselves. Jesus said the earth produces automatically, by itself, and he’s right. It’s been that way since the beginning of creation. But notice Jesus isn’t ignorant. He knows people can help in the process of growing seeds, which is why he includes a guy scattering seeds in the parable. Jesus, the bible, Christianity isn’t at war with science or Miracle Grow. If you want to use miracle grow, go for it. God’s not against that. He’s given us a brain, he encourages us to use it, and he invites us along in the process of growing seeds. He says the guy scatters seeds, he’s doing his part in helping to grow the seeds, but at the end of the day he can’t force the seeds to grow. No matter what the guy does he can’t force the seeds to grow, so he goes to sleep at night and rises in the morning trusting God with the growth. The guy trusts God with the growth, and Jesus is saying we need to do the same. He’s saying we need to do our part, we need to scatter the seeds of the Kingdom, we need to scatter the seeds of the gospel, but we need to trust God with the growth of those seeds. He’s saying it’s our job to scatter the gospel seeds, but it’s God’s job to grow the seeds we scatter...It’s our job to scatter the gospel seeds, but it’s God’s job to grow the seeds we scatter, and we need to trust God with that growth. But not only do we need to trust God with that growth, we also need to trust God with the timing of that growth, which Jesus talks about next.
Again vs. 28, “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Okay so notice it’s a process, notice it takes time to grow a seed. Jesus says the seed grows first into a ‘blade,’ that’s the stem that shoots out of the ground. Then the ‘ear,’ that’s the tip of the stem that produces grain or fruit. Then comes the ‘full grain,’ that’s the seed having reached its full growth and is now producing grain or fruit. It’s a process, it takes time to grow a seed, and Jesus is saying the Kingdom of God is like that. He’s saying it’s gonna be a process, it’s gonna take time for the Kingdom seeds, for the gospel seeds we scatter to grow. So not only do we need to trust God with the growth, but we also need to trust God with the timing of that growth. This is even true when it comes to the process of sanctification. Sanctification is just a fancy theological term that means God’s grace is growing us to become more like Christ. It’s God’s grace uprooting sin in our lives so we can grow in our love for God and others. It’s one of the amazing things about the gospel, it’s one of the amazing things about having a relationship with Jesus. It’s that Jesus doesn’t just save you, he also changes and transforms you. I’m not the person I was yesterday because of the grace I’ve received today. We’re not perfect, but we’re being perfected. Some of you are like, “Christians are hypocrites.” You’re right. We are. It’s because sanctification is a process and we haven’t arrived yet. We’re just as much in need of God’s transforming grace as you are. Those of you who call Christians hypocrites are just as much in need of God’s transforming grace as we are. You know how I know that? Because if I followed you around long enough I’d see a hypocrite in you too. We’re all in need of God’s saving and transforming grace, and for those of you who are Christians you need to remember that the sanctification process takes time. So don’t beat yourself up when you sin, and don’t beat up the new Christian when they sin. Instead let’s point each other back to Jesus who took the beating for us when he died for our sins, and keep moving forward in the sanctification process to overcome sin. But all of this takes time. It takes time to grow the gospel seeds we’ve scattered, and it takes time for the gospel seeds to grow in us. We need to have a marathon mindset...We need a marathon mindset, because the gospel takes time to spread, but give it time, and it’ll spread. We need a marathon mindset. Jesus pushes this point even further with another parable.
Vs. 30, “And he said, “‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed...’” Jesus says The Kingdom of God is like ‘a grain of mustard seed,’ and if you study mustard seeds you’ll learn they’re impressive little seeds. I mean mustard seeds were used for medical reasons before they were used for brauts and hot dogs. They were used to help cure scorpion stings, toothaches, clear sinus congestion, provide muscle relief, increase blood flow, and were even used to prevent frost bite. The average size of a mustard seed is about 2 mm in diameter, which is about the size of the tip of a pencil, and from that tiny little 2 mm seed, grows a mustard tree as big as 6-20 feet tall. But that’s not even the most impressive thing to me, what’s most impressive is that these little seeds are disease resistant, can grow in any type of climate, any type of soil, and are so persistent and powerful in their growth, that they can crack through cement. That tiny little 2 mm seed is such a powerful seed, that it has the power to crack through cement. Jesus says that’s what the Kingdom of God is like, that’s what the gospel is like. It’s like a single grain of mustard seed, that has the power to crack even the hardest of hearts. He’s saying it might start small, it might even seem like it’s taking forever to grow, but give it time, and it’ll grow. We need a marathon mindset... We need a marathon mindset, because the gospel takes time to spread, but give it time, and it’ll spread.
Again vs. 31, “It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth...” Skeptics try to use this verse to claim Jesus and the bible can’t be trusted because Jesus is wrong, the mustard seed isn’t the smallest seed it’s a tropical orchid seed. But skeptics fail to realize two things. First they fail to realize that Jesus is speaking to a specific audience, in a specific region, where the mustard seed was known as the smallest of seeds. So Jesus is speaking in terms his audience can understand. His audience would’ve viewed the mustard seed as the smallest of seeds on earth. If he started talking about orchid seeds they wouldn’t have understood what he was talking about. So he says the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds because it’s what his audience understands. The second thing skeptics fail to realize is Jesus is teaching a parable, not a botany class. And a parable isn’t meant to be taken literally, but the 1-2 truths the parable’s teaching are meant to be taken literally. So when Jesus says a mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, we don’t take that literally. Instead we take the 1-2 truths the parable’s teaching literally, which is that the kingdom seeds we scatter, the gospel seeds we scatter are like a mustard seed. They’ll start small, but they’ll have massive growth later.
Again vs. 31, “It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’” Jesus says the mustard seed starts small, but give it time, and it’ll grow. Give it time and it’ll grow larger than the other plants in the region. The same is true with the kingdom seeds we scatter. The same is true with the gospel seeds we scatter. Jesus is saying we need to give those seeds time to grow. He’s saying we need to have a marathon mindset...But what’s it look like practically? What’s it look like practically for us to reach people far from God with a marathon mindset? I’ll give you 3 quick things, then I’ll close.
#1 = Spend Intentional Time: A person with a marathon mindset spends intentional time with the few people they’re trying to reach. Remember a good friend doesn’t sprint in and out, a good friend sticks around and spends intentional time with the few they’re trying to reach. You can’t reach people you don’t spend time with...You can’t reach people you don’t spend time with, and a person with a marathon mindset knows this, so they spend intentional time with the few they’re trying to reach. We need to spend intentional time with those we’re trying to reach.
#2 = Pray Often: A person with a marathon mindset prays often for the few they’re
trying to reach. Why? Because they know it’s gonna take God to grow the gospel seeds they’re scattering. Remember our job’s to scatter the seeds, but it’s gonna take God to grow the seeds we scatter. So we need to pray for God to grow the seeds we scatter, and we need to pray often. We don’t pray once like a sprinter mindset, we pray often like a marathon mindset. Are you doing that, are you praying for God to grow the gospel seeds you’re scattering?..Are you praying specifically, by name, for the hearts of the people you’re trying to reach?..We can’t expect the gospel seeds we scatter to grow, if we don’t rely on the grower of those seeds. We need to pray for God to grow the seeds we’re scattering, and we need to pray often.
#3 = Give It Time: A person with a marathon mindset gives the seeds they’re planting
time to grow. A person with a marathon mindset knows it’s gonna take some people more time than others to receive the gospel. I mean it took Doubting Thomas 8 days before he believed and he was in Jesus’ inner circle. Now if it took Thomas 8 days to believe, then it shouldn’t shock us when it takes the people we’re trying to reach longer to believe. Man I hope that encourages you. I hope it encourages you to keep going, because I know some of you’ve been pouring into people you know and love for a long time but you feel like you’re getting nowhere with them. I know moments like that can be frustrating and discouraging, but it’s in those moments that you need to have a marathon mindset, you need to remember it took Thomas 8 days to believe, and he was in Jesus’ inner circle. For me personally, it took 23 years of people pouring into me, 23 years of people sharing the gospel with me, before I finally received it. I’m so thankful all the people who scattered seeds of the gospel didn’t give up on me. I’m so thankful they gave it time. I’m so thankful they had a marathon mindset, not a sprinters mindset.
The Big Idea:
Let’s get to the big idea. Here’s the big idea. We need to have a marathon mindset...We need to have a marathon mindset, because the gospel takes time to spread, but give it time, and it’ll spread...Jesus teaches us in these parables that the kingdom seeds, the gospel seeds would start out small, but give it time, and those seeds would grow tremendously. It’s been happening all throughout history. I mean take off your spiritual hat for a minute, forget I’m a pastor, and let’s look at this as historians. Let’s look at what Jesus said historically and what actually happened historically. Here’s what’s happened historically after Jesus taught these parables.
Around 30 A.D. Jesus started scattering kingdom seeds, gospel seeds into 12 people
Then around 33 A.D. those 12 seeds grew to 120 people
Then around 33 A.D. those 120 seeds grew to 3,000 Christians in Jerusalem
By 100 A.D. those 3,000 seeds grew to an estimated 17,500 Christians in the Roman Empire
By 180 A.D. those 17,500 seeds grew to 108,000 Christians in the Roman Empire
By 250 A.D. those 108,000 seeds grew to over 2 million in the Roman Empire
By 300 A.D. those 2 million seeds grew to 6 million in the Roman Empire
By 312 A.D. those 6 million seeds grew to 9 million in the Roman Empire
And by 350 A.D. most historians estimate that those 9 million seeds grew to over 31 million Christians in the Roman Empire. 31 million in less than 300 years.
But it doesn’t stop there, the seeds don’t stop scattering in Rome! They start spreading throughout Europe, America, South America, and today it’s blowing up in places like Africa and China to the point where we have over 2 billion people in the world who are Christians. We’re talking current numbers, not total numbers in history. If we’re talking total numbers in history then we’re talking billions and billions of people who’ve become Christians over the years, and it all started with Jesus scattering a few gospel seeds to 12 people.
The bible isn’t a bunch of fairytales, it’s full of historical truth. Jesus said the kingdom seeds, the gospel seeds would start small but scatter and grow tremendously and it has. There’s billions and billons of people who have become Christians throughout history, and it all started with one gospel seed living, dying, and rising again sprouting out of the ground, to bear fruit, and scatter more seeds. If you’re not a Christian I want you to realize this, I want you to realize what Jesus is saying and what’s actually happening in history. I want you to realize that Jesus is the mustard seed who lived, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of your sins and he came to introduce us to his kingdom, he came to invite us into his kingdom, and if you repent of your sins, believe Jesus died for your sins, and worship him as your King, then when he returns you’ll get to enjoy all the benefits of his presence, and all the joys that’ll come with his restored kingdom. He said his kingdom would expand like the mustard seed, and it has, which means the question isn’t whether the kingdom seed, the gospel seed he scattered is growing, rather the question is...is the gospel seed growing in you?..Is the gospel seed growing in you?..Jesus said he would build his kingdom, and he is. The question is are you a part of it, and are you doing your part to help build it?...Are those of you who are Christians doing your part to help build it?
City Awakening I’ve said it all throughout this series, East Orlando’s considered a tough soil, a tough place to plant a church, which means we can’t have a sprinters mindset. If we have a sprinters mindset we’re gonna run out of gas when we don’t see the finish line, when we don’t see immediate results. We can’t have a sprinters mindset in a tough soiled city like East Orlando. We need to be marathon friends with marathon mindsets to the people in our city. We need to keep scattering gospel seeds, and giving those seeds time to grow. So let’s identify the soil, let’s make some friends, scatter some gospel seeds, pray for those seeds, and have a marathon mindset. It’s how we cultivate this tough soiled city we’re in. So let’s start cultivating, and let’s reach people far from God. City Awakening, you’re sent!...