Throughout Mark 4, Jesus is teaching on the Word of God.
In verse 21, He says, “Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel,
or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?” The candle
represents God’s Word. Psalm 119:130 tells us that the entrance
of His Word brings light. Some say we aren’t supposed to understand
the Bible, but would God send His Word and then hide it
under a bushel? Jesus says, “For there is nothing hid, which shall
not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it
should come abroad” (Mark 4:22). The Apostle Paul said that the
secrets which the prophets wrote in the Scriptures are now manifest
and given to us by His Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:9-10). All
of this is speaking about the Word of God.
Mark 4:23-25 says, “If any man have ears to hear, let him
hear. 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. For he that hath, to him shall be given:
and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he
hath.” What does this have to do with the Word of God? God
has provided every single thing necessary to make you a success
in this world and in the world to come. He has provided a
Savior to break the bond between Satan and mankind—the
Lord Jesus Christ. He bore the stripes, the spear, the thorns, the
sin, the death, and was raised from the dead to everlasting life.
God has provided all of this in Him.
Let’s read this again. “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. 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 man who does not have a covenant with God, the
man outside the covenants of promise as in Ephesians 2:12, is
without hope and without God in the world. If you are without
a covenant, if you do not have the Word of God functioning
and operating in your life, then even what little you do have
will be taken away by Satan. If you are without God in the
world, no matter what you do, somewhere down the line Satan
will take it from you. He is a thief and a killer out to destroy
everything you have. There’s no question about it. Satan has
been around a long time and you haven’t! He has about a
6,000-year head start. But, brother, when you get into the Word
of God and get filled with the Holy Ghost, then you have an
eternal advantage over Satan because the Spirit of God was
around long before Satan came into being! The advantage is
ours when we are operating on the New Testament because it
provides the knowledge needed to govern Satan. Everything
comes back to the Word of God. Even people who are born
again and filled with the Holy Spirit will be robbed if they don’t
know what the Word says about healing and prosperity. If they
don’t know their covenant with God, Satan will take what little
they do have. Determine now to be one who will hear. Jesus has
promised that more will be given you (verse 25).
Let’s continue now in Mark 4:26, “And he said, So is the
kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And
should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring
and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth
fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn
in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he
putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” It doesn’t do
any good to sow the seed for prosperity and then not reap the
harvest. It’s ignorance for a man to tithe and give, then block
the grace of God by saying, “I couldn’t ask God to give me anything.”
If somebody tried to give to a person doing that, he
wouldn’t allow it because of pride. There is no reality in planting
the seeds of tithing and giving if you’re not going to allow
God to bless you through it. You plant the seed, then harvest
the crop.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries
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