Young Adults' Group

A Deeper Understanding Of The Word Of God

by Pastor Mark
May 17, 2018

Going deeper

As we study the Word of God, we should search for greater depth. The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to always go deeper in their understanding. There were many deep things for them to comprehend. He gave to them the challenge to fathom the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

The mysteries of the kingdom of God

1. A basis understanding of the kingdom of God

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”” (Mark 1:14,15)

The Lord Jesus first introduced the kingdom of God. It was meant to be a spiritual kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah King. He proclaimed that the kingdom of God was near…it was there already. The Lord made a general call for all to enter into the kingdom. To those who responded appropriately, they would be able to go beyond a basis understanding.

2. A deeper understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of God

“But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,”” (Mark 4:10–11)

The Lord Jesus was addressing two groups of people…those who were His disciples and those who were outside the kingdom of God.

a. His disciples

To His disciples, the Lord Jesus would reveal the deeper things of the mystery of the kingdom of God. As disciples, they sought Jesus for further depth concerning His parables. Through their desire to seek, they were able to discover and to understand these mysteries of the kingdom of God. The phrase “it has been given” is written in the Greek perfect tense. This means that the Lord had already given to those who are His disciples these mysteries in the past and the effect is that they would now know and understand these mysteries. They have been given the privilege to know the mysteries.

b. Those who are outside

As for those who would be outside the kingdom of God, they would be given parables. As they would not seek and find out the meaning of the parables, the mysteries of the kingdom of God would remain closed to them. There is a punitive element to these parables. Those who were outside were not genuinely interested neither were they really repentant. Mark wrote further, “so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them’.” (Mark 4:12) They would see and not perceive. They would hear and not understand. As a result, they would not be able to turn from their sins and receive forgiveness.

Checking our depth of understanding

Let us ensure that we are not shallow in our understanding of the Lord’s Word. Let us be certain that we are true disciples of the Lord who are seeking to go deeper in our understanding of the Word of the Lord…about the kingdom of God.

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