Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn to the Gospel of Mark chapter 4.
As you're doing that, you've heard it said already that we had our men's retreat this weekend,
and everyone's a bit tired from that. I'm feeling this as well. My soul is very awake this morning,
and glad to be here. I'm trying to get my mind and my body to catch up to that. So,
if at any time during the sermon I just suddenly fall asleep and fall over on the stage,
what I want you to do is drag me by my feet to the back corner, put the chair rack in front so
no one steps on me and just leave me alone. Wes will come up and maybe do an extra song,
and we'll close the service up that way. But I'm sure by grace I'll stay standing in this process.
We finally find ourselves back in Mark. We ended up taking a little bit of a three-week
hiatus from it. Not really intentionally, but previously when we were in Mark we talked about
what the purpose of the parables were. We looked in chapter 4 verses 10 through 12, and we saw how
it was that Jesus used these parables. He laid these truths that were understood to them alongside
greater truth to help them understand it in expanding degrees. And that the parables were designed,
as we can see as he quotes here, from Isaiah chapter 6, there in verse 12, to both conceal and reveal
things about the kingdom of God, this gospel message that he was preaching.
So we did that together, and now we're going to actually back up a little bit and look at verses
1 through 20. So join me reading along as I read out loud.
Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd gathered about him so that he got into
a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was
teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,
Listen, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up,
since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root,
it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and yielded no grain.
And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding
thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to
them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in
parable, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven. And he said to them, Do you not understand this parable?
How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word, and these are the ones along
the path where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that
is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground. The one who, when they hear the word,
immediately receives it with joy, and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while.
Then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of
the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, enter in and choke the
word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word,
and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. Please join me in praying.
Father, we praise you this morning for Christ, and we praise you for your word to us in the scriptures
that speaks of the word of God who became flesh, who came and dwelt amongst us, who lived a sinless life
on our behalf, bore your wrath for us who will believe in him, that we might have life and be set free
from the bondage and slavery of sin. We praise you for the gospel of Mark, and the opportunity to look at
the life of Christ as recorded here by Mark, who was carried along by your spirit. We accept this this
morning as your word to us. It is holy, and we come to you in reverence, asking that you work change in
our lives by its power, and we pray this in Christ's name. Amen. So we find Jesus again, likely close to
Capernaum on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee, and he has gone out again in more remote places, but
these big crowds keep following him, and we see this kind of repeatedly throughout the story here. And so
Mark pauses at this point to set a little bit of a scene for us. He gets into a boat. He goes out a ways
into the water so that the crowd isn't pressing in on him so much, where he can stop performing miracles,
which validated the message, and preach. He got out and he began to teach them. And the gospel of Mark,
I've said to you before, is a work of rhetoric. It's a work. Mark's intention as he's writing by the
power of the Spirit is to access our hearts through our minds to have us be devoted followers of Jesus
Christ. And it's action-packed. He moves, and he moves very quickly through the events that are
happening in Jesus' life. But he pauses on a couple of occasions to record his teaching at length,
particularly chapter 4 and chapter 13. We see Jesus dropping truth along the way in the midst of
these stories, but he really stops and pauses in these places, which should give us reason to stop
and pause and really question how is it that this teaching, how is it that this parable in particular
is incredibly important. This parable is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, along with Jesus'
explanation. It's one of the few parables that we get a recorded explanation of exactly what it means.
Quite fascinating to come to a text. Often I come to a text and I have to get its bearing, try to
understand what it means, and then say, okay, now we know what it means. What does it mean for our
people? And Jesus just does the work for me here, right? We know exactly what it means, right? He tells
us. He continues his sermon. He goes right on. And so the challenge before us today is then to
apply it as well into our lives. Notice verse 13. As he responds to his apostles, we kind of see two
settings. By the sea, he's preaching from the water. And then later on, when he was alone, his disciples
come to him and ask him this question about parables. And he says to them in verse 13, do you not
understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? So this kind of seems to be a
paradigm-shifting parable. We must understand this one if we're going to get the others right.
And so it's a parable about soils. This would have been a very commonly understood parable. The general
population would have got this symbolism, this agrarian symbolism. So the challenge before us is
to say, okay, this is an important parable. By it, we must understand other parables. So what does it
mean for us? What does it mean for us today? And I want to give you two objectives of this parable
that means something for us today. Firstly, to have us question which type of soil we are.
In the parable, Jesus is the sower. We find him in this stage in his ministry right now,
going about sowing the Word, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. And he says to us that there
are types of soil. And those are those who hear the message of God. And so we must ask ourselves,
which type of soil we are. This is the greatest question we could ask. How do we find ourselves in
the category that will be damned for eternity because of our sin against the most holy God?
Or those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ? You must answer that question this morning.
We are commended in the Scriptures to test our faith. Do that today as you reflect upon these
different types of soils? Our fruitfulness matters a great deal. We want to find ourselves as good soil.
Those who have received the Word and who have bore fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
The fruit matters. Our salvation is a great work of grace that Christ has bought on our behalf.
We cannot earn our salvation in any way, but yet the fruit is the evidence of the work of God in our lives.
So it matters. Matthew 3.8, Jesus says,
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance, in evidence of your repentance.
And later in Matthew 12, verse 33, He said that a tree is known by its fruit.
Good trees produce good fruit. Bad trees produce bad fruit.
At the end of chapter 3, we looked at kind of some beginning parable, but there's a lot of activity happening
as He's likely back in Capernaum.
And we see an interaction with a number of different types of people here.
And He's elaborating. Mark, being led by the Spirit, is giving us this parable
in following the way He's treated by His family, as He's treated as a lunatic.
They come to Him, if you look back up in verse 21 of chapter 3,
and when His family heard it, that He was back in town, they went out to seize Him,
for they were saying, He is out of His mind.
Then we see Him interacting with the scribes, who thinks that He's a liar.
He's saying that He's the Son of God, and they're saying,
You can't possibly be the Son of God. You are working by Satan.
And then we see those that He recognizes are His mother and His brothers and His sisters,
in verse 34 and 35, those who do the will of His Father.
John 6.4, He says,
For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him
should have eternal life.
So, our faith is not merely an outward activity.
Thousands of people were following Him around,
but they followed Him for the benefits that He could provide for them.
They wanted to be healed, or they wanted to see healing happen.
They wanted demons cast out, or they wanted to see that happen.
It was a spectacle that was going on.
And many people today, and you may find yourself in this position,
that you follow Jesus for what you think He can offer you,
in this world, but not for what He actually came to offer.
And that was the redemption of our souls.
I love you, Dad.
This is why we come to Christ, for the redemption of our souls.
And we receive immense blessing in Him.
Immense, immeasurable blessing.
But often not the way we think.
You don't follow Jesus for a new car or financial success.
The prosperity gospel is damning untold millions to hell.
They're just air conditioning the trip there.
That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must ask ourselves, if we're good soil,
do we have the seed of the Word in us,
and is it producing fruit as evidence of that?
Secondly, if we are good soil,
this parable helps to prepare us for the way the world will receive the gospel of grace.
If you want to complicate the parable a bit,
you certainly can,
to say that we're now sowers,
sowing the Word.
I like to think that Jesus is still the sower,
and He uses us as His tools of sowing seed,
right?
Spreading the Word amongst the world.
And not all people are going to receive the Word the way we would hope that they would.
The way we think they ought to.
And this is to help us to understand what that's going to look like.
Because the major task of every disciple of Christ is to sow seed.
This is it.
You want to know God's will for your life?
Believe in Him,
and sow seeds so that others might believe in Him.
This is the task that has been given to us.
Many people call it the Great Commission.
Properly, aptly called that thing.
In fact, all the instruction that we receive in the Scriptures about holy living,
the ways in which we ought to glorify God,
is giving validation to that message.
The same way that Jesus went around and healed people,
and showed that He had a power from above,
validated His message,
is what we do as we love one another,
as we live holy lives,
as we put to death sin,
as we pursue righteousness,
all of these things validate this primary thing of sowing seed,
sowing the Word in the world.
This is the primary task.
We are to propagate to the glory of God.
Propagate to the glory of God.
Sow seed so that others might bear fruit.
I think it's behind me.
I'm pretty sure it is.
Our vision statement for our church.
That we exist to glorify God
by experiencing,
proclaiming,
and displaying the supremacy of Jesus Christ
in all things to all peoples.
That is our way of saying
that in all of our activity,
our experience,
in our proclamation,
and the things we do together,
we are to show Jesus Christ as supreme.
To show Him as He is.
To sow the Word in the world,
in everything we do,
to the ends of the earth.
I hope that you're working on memorizing
this statement.
It's there for you.
Remember it.
The Canons of Dort,
which quite interestingly,
was the response to Arminianism.
So,
if you got a little bit uncomfortable
with the song we sang beforehand,
and if you get uncomfortable
with this particular parable here,
a group of men met together
to look at the claims of Jacob Arminius,
and they wrote responses to that.
We often call them
the doctrines of grace,
but in the Canons of Dort,
it said it this way.
The Word should be declared
and published to all nations
and to all persons
promiscuously
and without distinction.
I love that.
Right?
Promiscuously,
the Word should be sown.
Massive handfuls of seed
thrown everywhere.
This is our response
to this great gospel of grace.
I challenge you when you get home,
next time you're on your computer,
type into Google
evangelism methods that work.
Just watch the stuff that pops up.
Watch the stuff that pops up in that.
We have,
as American Christians,
I believe with the best of intention,
try to come up with
our own methodologies
for how it is
that Jesus saves souls.
Right?
We don't want there to be
any types of soil.
Right?
We want to say there's one type of soil,
and if we can just be convincing enough,
right,
if we can just get the game
just right,
and what we end up doing
is we end up modifying
the seed itself.
Right?
It no longer becomes
the seed of the kingdom of God.
It becomes some weird distortion of it
that has no value
that will ultimately be
ripped up by its roots
and thrown into the fire.
Right?
It doesn't produce more fruit.
It's not the thing
that's good for nourishment.
I was thinking about this
this past week,
and I just started thinking
about all of the
genetically modified food
that we eat these days,
and we could go off
on a big,
huge tangent about that,
but there's lots
of genetically modified foods,
and they are modified
to produce better,
to make more.
We may never see
this side of heaven,
the effects that's having
on our bodies,
drought resistant,
different things like that,
but I came across
a story of Monsanto,
which is a bad word
in some circles,
an organization
that had genetically
modified some wheat
that they found
to be incredibly bad,
and it was discovered
just this past year
on a farm in Oregon.
They had withdrawn it,
weren't sending it anymore,
but it somehow was found
that this plant was growing
on this farm in Oregon,
and as a result of that,
our wheat export
was boycotted by Japan,
South Korea,
and Taiwan
at the tune of $8.1 billion.
in revenue
this past year.
They recognized
that this was not
weak as it should be,
and they rejected it.
And here we find ourselves
as Americans
modifying the gospel,
right,
and then exporting it
all over the world.
And we're finding
that there are places
that are rejecting
much of the gospel,
the modified gospel
that comes out
of America.
Praise God
that there are countries
that are now
being missionaries
to the states.
South Koreans
are a good example
of that,
who have said,
what an evil,
wicked place
that needs the light
of Christ.
We will go there
and preach the gospel
to those people.
Fantastic.
Absolutely fantastic.
You remember these people,
the people that Jesus
is talking to here,
his disciples,
had much messianic expectation.
Right?
They were waiting
for the Christ.
They didn't know
that this was him
in various forms
quite yet,
but they were waiting
for him to come.
They knew the messianic
prophecies.
They were expecting
Jesus to come
to be a king
who would restore
the Davidic dynasty
and usher in a time
of justice
and peace.
And he will,
but it just didn't happen
the way they thought
that it would.
They were oppressed
by Rome.
They thought he was
going to come,
put Rome back
in its place,
restore the glory
of the Davidic kingdom.
They were familiar
with Isaiah 9, 6, and 7.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government
shall be upon his shoulders,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase
of his government
and of peace
there will be no end
on the throne of David
and over his kingdom
to establish it
and to uphold it
with justice
and with righteousness
from this time forth
and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts,
will do this.
Jesus Christ has,
in fact,
restored the
Davidic dynasty.
He was in the lineage
of David
and he has come
and he's reigned.
He's seated now
at the right hand of the Father
and he reigns in our hearts.
The kingdom of God
looked much different
than they thought it would.
And here he is
setting up
a paradigm-shifting parable
to understand
what this would look like.
You see why this is
really important
for us to get
as followers of Christ.
As evidence of this,
in Luke chapter 12,
verse 23,
his record ends.
Someone who was following
said to him,
Lord,
will those who are saved
be few?
Will those who are saved
be few?
Here's the parable
that helps us
to understand
what's going on
and happening
in this world.
I said to you before
this agricultural symbolism
may be a little bit
lost on us,
but they totally understood it.
This was an agrarian society.
And they got this parable
both physically and mentally.
And let me explain
what I mean by that.
Physically,
they got the picture.
They understood
what he was talking about
as he talked about
this field
and what it meant
to sow seed.
We talked previously
at the end of chapter 2
when the disciples
and Jesus
are chastised
for picking the heads
of wheat
and walking
and eating.
And I told you
that there were paths
that kind of crisscrossed
around the edges
of these fields.
And this is where
people traveled.
They have highways
that they were traveling on.
They would walk
these beaten paths
between the fields.
And it was permissible
by law
that you could gather
as you were walking along.
So the person
sojourning through
the country
could gather and eat
as they went along.
And this is what
they were attacked for
was doing that
on the Sabbath.
So these fields
were set up
in some form of a grid
and had these hard
paths around it.
And the fields
would be tilled.
Much the same way
we do now,
but we do it
with big machinery.
They would till
the fields up
so you would have
had a nice big blank
plot of land
with the soil
turned up
ready to go
and they would
sow seed
in a bag.
They would put it
in a bag,
carry it over their
shoulder,
and they would
cast the seed
like this.
Any of you
have ever done that?
I've seeded a lawn
that way,
hand seeding a lawn.
And you threw it
out there.
And you can't,
you can kind of
control where it goes,
but if you want
it to get to the edges,
you've definitely
got to do some
overlapping.
It's got to play out
a little bit
beyond that.
They would have
totally understood.
The picture of this
would have been
in their heads.
They possibly could
have looked at
somebody doing it.
Jesus may have.
Jesus may have
seen somebody doing it
and said,
I've got one for them.
The sign of a natural
teacher is that
they've always got
some beautiful analogy
to speak about
something of a
greater truth.
These people also
would have known
of the promises
of God,
which were very
agrarian in their
symbolism,
of Psalm 126,
Jeremiah chapter 31,
Hosea chapter 2.
Spend some time
looking at those.
They also would have
known of some
of the symbolism
of the judgment
of God using
these kind of
agrarian symbols.
Isaiah chapter 34
is an example of that.
So it was a very
timely way for him
to speak to these
people.
Note that there
are six soils.
Don't spend a ton
of time racking
your brain about six.
I think you counted
four already.
Don't spend a bunch
of time thinking
about that.
I'll get you to
that point here
readily.
But let's talk
one by one
about these
different soils.
Firstly,
we see the soil
that is along
the path.
The soil that's
at the edge
of the path.
The part that
would have been
beaten down.
The person that
didn't walk down
the middle of the
path but walked
a little off to
the edge of the
path would have
beat the ground
down quite well.
We see that in
verse 4 and then
the explanation of
it in verse 15.
This would have
been hard.
Hard packed.
Hard as a rock.
This area of the
world is very dry
for most of the
year.
Nothing's saturating.
Our paths would
have been mud
here in Georgia.
But in this place
it would have been
hard as a rock.
As if it was
paved.
And so we see
verse 4 that he
sows it and some
of it falls onto
the path.
And immediately
the birds follow
the sower along
and they snatch
it up.
It's food for
them and they
eat it.
In verse 15
we see that this
is Satan.
Comes and takes
the word away
that they might
not believe.
In the same
account in Luke
chapter 8
I like the
language here
in verse 15
of chapter 4
it says
and takes away
the word that
is sown in
them.
In Luke
chapter 8
it says
the ones along
the path of
those who
have heard
then the devil
comes and
takes away
the word
from their
hearts
so that it
may not
believe
and be
saved.
One thing
for us
just to hear
the word
in our
heads
but the
word must
come down
and penetrate
into our
hearts.
It must
plant itself
in us
and for
these people
this word
is snatched
away
before they
can believe.
Secondly
we see
the rocky
ground
in verses
5 and
6
and then
the
explanation
in verses
16 and
17.
It falls
on the rocky
ground
where it
didn't have
much soil
and immediately
sprang up
since it
had no
depth of
soil.
And when
the sun
rose it
was scorched
and since
it had
no root
it withered
away.
Now the
picture here
is not
that there's
rocks on
the surface
or that
there's
chunks of
rock in
the soil.
They would
have fixed
that.
They wouldn't
have let
that remain
in their
field but
that there
was rock
underneath
the soil.
That they
had tilled
it.
It looked
good and
fine on
the surface
so the
seed was
sown there.
But there's
rock down
below that
prevented those
roots from
going down
deep.
And again
in this area
it's very
arid and
roots had to
go down.
They had to
get down
deep into
where the
water table
would be
when the
water was
before they
could start
putting up
height.
If you don't
know much
about plants
that's the
first thing
that plants
do.
When you put a
seed in the
ground it
sends out
roots first
that it
might have
nourishment.
Then it
begins putting
energy into
setting up
the stalk
and setting
it up
above the
ground.
So in this
case they
would have
looked out
across the
field and
they would
have had
all their
little plants
and wheat
maybe in
this case
coming up.
But these
plants would
have come
up higher
and they
would have
known.
Planted that
one on
rock.
Because they
would have
jumped up.
They would
have sprung
up even
higher because
the plant
not able to
!
Put roots
down any
deeper.
would have
been putting
all its
energy into
shooting a
stalk up
high.
And those
things would
have certainly
been pulled
out and
burned.
It would
have been
pointless.
It would
have never
produced any
fruit whatsoever.
Just vegetable
matter at that
point.
So this would
have been rock
up underneath
the soil.
And you can
see in the
explanation that
Jesus gives
us.
They hear the
word and they
immediately receive
it with joy.
It springs up
in them.
Praise God for
the growth in
this person's
life.
Some of you
may know
these type of
people.
I know quite
a few.
You rejoice in
this transformative
work.
It seems like
God has done a
great mighty
work in them.
But then,
because they
have no root,
they endure for
a while.
And when
tribulation or
persecution arises
because of their
faith, everything
doesn't go hunky
dory, everything
isn't great the
way they think it's
going to be, they
fall away.
They're scorched
by the sun and
they fall away.
I would say to
those of you,
especially those
of you who are
young and on
college campuses
and seeing people
come to repentance
and faith, push
new believers out
into the sun.
We tend to coddle
new believers a
lot.
And we must
disciple people.
We must build
foundation of truth
in them.
We must help
them be able to
stand firm.
But the truly
regenerate soul
does not reject
the gospel when
tribulation comes
as a result of
the gospel.
So push them.
Kick them out
into the sun.
Push them out
there and see
what happens.
Press them into
sharing their
faith.
Press them into
speaking freely
about the work of
God in their
life and see
what happens.
They may get a
little bit knocked
down.
You want to be
there to help
them in those
times.
But we'll see
very quickly
whether or not
they're truly
regenerate.
Those of us
who are found
in Christ
welcome
tribulation.
Rejoice in
tribulation.
It gives
evidence of
our faith.
The writer of
Hebrews in
chapter 12.
Actually, please
turn to Hebrews
chapter 12 with
me.
This is enough
text for you to
look at it with
me.
This is good if
you've been
feeling
disciplined by
the Lord.
If you've
been experiencing
tribulation of
any kind.
Hebrews chapter
12 beginning in
verse 5.
And have you
forgotten the
exhortation that
addresses you as
sons?
My son, do not
regard lightly the
discipline of the
Lord, nor be
weary when
reproved by him.
For the Lord
disciplines the
one he loves,
and chastises
every son whom
he receives.
Now you might
be saying, but
wait, tribulation
is not of God.
Sure, it's
permitted by him.
You are
chastised.
You are
reproved by the
actions of others
because everything
is held in God's
sovereign hand.
Verse 7.
It is for
discipline that you
have to endure.
God is treating
you as sons.
For what son is
there whom his
father does not
discipline?
Now this is a
general truth.
Some of us may
have had fathers
that did not
discipline us.
But because I
love my sons, I
discipline them.
Because I want
what is good for
them.
I want what is
right for them.
I teach that because
they do not know
it on their own.
Leave our little
kids alone, they
become absolutely
wretched.
Absolutely.
I discipline my
sons because I
love them.
Verse 8.
If you are left
without discipline in
which all have
participated, then
you are illegitimate
children and not
sons.
God leaves you
alone and doesn't
discipline you, then
you are not sons.
Besides this, we
have had earthly
fathers who
disciplined us and
we respected them.
Shall we not much
more be subject to
the father of
spirits and live?
For they disciplined
us for a short time
as it seemed best to
them, but he
disciplines us for
our good that we
may share his
holiness.
Speaking of my
son.
For the moment,
all discipline seems
painful rather than
pleasant, but later it
yields the peaceful
fruit of righteousness
to those who have
been trained by it.
This is good.
The son of
tribulation, if our
roots are down deep,
if we're good soil and
our roots are firmly
planted and we're
drinking deep from the
goodness of God in our
lives, the son of
tribulation causes
growth.
That's how plants work.
They send up the
shoot because they
need the sun to
continue that process
of photosynthesis
and all the things
that go along with
that.
We won't get into a
science lesson at
that point.
But the sun is then
good for us.
And so that's the
rocky ground.
Those who appear,
they appear to be
regenerate.
They appear to make
genuine confessions of
faith.
I have been duped.
I don't think it was
any fault of mine,
but people that I
really thought were
regenerate and ended
up not being at all.
We've had members of
our church were that
way.
Fooled us.
I mean, there's just
no way we thought that
they weren't not
Christians.
Christians, right?
Allowed them into our
fellowship and later had
to ask them to leave
our fellowship because
they were evidently not.
By their own admission
were not.
They say to them,
it doesn't make sense
for you to be a member
of a believing church
if you're not a
Christian.
They say, I agree.
We loved them in parted
ways in that.
We take sin seriously
here.
So this is the rocky
ground.
Thirdly, there was seed
that fell among thorns.
Now get here.
Again, the picture is
no farmer in his
right mind is going
to sow seed amongst
thorns and let thorns
naturally grow.
I shouldn't say
naturally.
Let them just propagate
in his field.
He's going to pull them
up.
In that tilling process,
he's going to pull them
up.
So here you find seed
that's going to land on
ground that has thorn
seed in it.
It's been blown from a
neighboring field.
It's come out of a
ditch somewhere.
We all experience that
in the southeast.
Weeds are everywhere
where we are.
And those plants, in
competition for sun,
sinned up quickly.
I mean, boy, do they
ever sinned up quickly.
They sinned up their
greenery.
They produce seed like
crazy so that they can
go and go and go and
go and go.
If you've ever tried to
have a garden in the
southeast, you know what
this looks like.
It comes up before.
You've got to get out
there and start weeding
before your good plants
come up to make sure
they don't get shaded
out.
So here we find in
verse 7, seed falling
among thorns.
And the thorns grew up
and choked it.
And it yielded no grain.
They grew up and they
shielded out the sun.
Right?
And they sucked up all
the nutrients from the
ground.
Jesus' explanation says
that they are those who
hear the word, but the
cares of the world and
the deceitfulness of
riches and the desire
for other things enter
in and choke the word
and it proves unfruitful.
I really fear this type of
soil is prevalent in our
churches.
That people hear the word,
make some sense to them,
seems to have some effect
in their hearts, but all of
the cares of the world,
this deceitfulness of
riches, the desire for
things, comes in and chokes
it out.
Beloved, being a disciple of
Christ comes at a cost.
It comes at a cost.
We've been given free grace,
but pursuing Him, being a
disciple, comes at a cost.
We must give things up.
You cannot love and serve the
world and love and serve God.
Right?
They're at odds with one
another.
That isn't to say that we
have to be monastic.
That isn't to say that we
have to take vows of
poverty.
But you need to really check
how much do I love the
world.
So often, even for those of
us who are good soil, who
are regenerate, who have
faith in Christ, so often
our love for Christ gets
trumped by our love for
this world.
We are absolutely inundated
at every turn by
materialism where we live.
Right?
I hate going down to the
Mall of Georgia area because
every time I go down there,
I'm usually driving one of
the crummiest vehicles down
there, and everyone's clothes
are more expensive than mine,
and there are billboards
everywhere, and every store is
new and flashy and nice, and
I can feel this pressure.
It kind of presses down on me
to want more.
Right?
I'm glad I live up here where
people drive crummy vehicles,
and I'm just thankful that my
truck is running as you see them
broken down on the side of the
road, and I'm like, praise God
I'm getting from point A to
point B.
This is all around us.
Ask that God would test your
heart in this regard.
Are you good soil?
Right?
Are you good soil that's just
been distracted by the world?
Or are you this seed thrown
among the thorns?
Seed sown among the thorns?
Say that five times fast.
Right?
1 John 2.19
John says,
They went out from us, but they
were not of us.
For if they had been of us, they
would have continued with us.
But they went out, that it might
become plain, that they are all
not of us.
If we're going to be a community
of faith, right, disciple-making
disciples of Jesus Christ, we are
going to look different from this
world.
Not that we're going to wear special
outfits to look different.
But all of our activity, our
experience, our proclaiming,
displaying, is going to look
different from this world.
And people who come here and
want to sit amongst us are
going to have a couple of
emotions.
They're going to stay, feel
incredibly uncomfortable.
These people are so different
than I am.
Look at the way they press.
Look at the way they give
freely.
Look at the way they don't love
the things of this world.
And I do.
They're going to pull in the
parking lot in their car and
go, my car is a lot different
than all these other cars in
this parking lot.
They're going to walk in here
dressed a particular way and
say, I am dressed very strangely
compared to these people.
They're going to be here and
they're going to be uncomfortable.
That is an option.
Secondly, they could change.
They could pursue Christ with
us in a community.
We could press them towards that
type of thing.
Or they could leave.
And I'm not suggesting that
everyone who leaves our church
is a seat among thorns.
I'm not saying that at all.
But speaking of this particular
issue of loving the things of
this world over Christ, those are
the options for them.
We ought to be that kind of
people.
This shouldn't be the kind of
group where you can come in and
meld.
People who love the things of
this world shouldn't be
comfortable here.
It should be the case.
Right?
People should walk in and be
amongst us and spend time with
us, hear what's on our hearts,
and they should go, these people
love Jesus more than anything.
There is no doubt in my mind of
that fact.
And we pray that that causes
change in everybody's life.
Which brings us to our last three
soils.
Good soil.
We see good soil that yields
thirtyfold and sixtyfold and
a hundredfold.
There's your three different
types of soil.
And I have to say that I'm a
little bit encouraged by this
just as sometimes in my
Christian walk I want to see
more things happen.
I want more fruit to happen.
But to see that God has
particularly gifted people in
different ways and that I don't
need to be Billy Graham.
I would like to be.
I would like to be that
effective for the kingdom.
God wants to use me in that
way.
I am willing to do that.
But I don't have to be Billy
Graham.
There's not a pressure to that.
Like the measure of my faith is
not that I am Billy Graham.
That I accomplish what he has
accomplished by God's grace.
But that I could just be one
that yields thirtyfold.
Now understand that this
terminology for them,
thirtyfold and sixtyfold and
hundredfold would have been
astronomical crop yield.
Not like normal crop yield.
I tried to read up on this.
I really didn't understand
what I was reading when I was
trying to figure out the
percentages that it would be.
But essentially this would be
a yield of like three thousand,
six thousand and ten thousand
percent.
What they're measuring I'm not
sure.
Probably weight of crop versus
weight of yield.
But just get this was huge.
Right.
The gradient of society would
have gone thirtyfold, sixtyfold
and a hundredfold.
Are you crazy?
But this is the kind of fruit
that Christians yield.
That we sow the seed.
We put the seed out in the world.
God does this work that causes
this propagation to happen.
The growth of God's church.
Right.
That his people amass and amass
and amass and amass.
And sometimes I get a little bit
discouraged as an American
Christian running in the circles
that I run in.
That we don't see massive
regeneration.
We've been praying as a church
for quite some time for revival.
We want to see a big movement
of people towards God.
And that's a good thing to desire
and we should continue to press
into that.
And sometimes I feel a little bit
discouraged as if God's not
moving and working in the world.
But you only have to open your
eyes a little bit and read some
of the accounts of some of the
things that are happening
around the world.
The last time I kind of checked
in on what was going on in China
it's reported that about
10,000 people a day are coming
to faith in Christ in China.
10,000 people a day God is at work.
Right.
Seed is being sown and it is
meeting good soil.
Right.
It is growing up and it is
producing more.
And hear this.
The way that God came into this
world that brought the kingdom.
He brought it through His Son
Jesus Christ who picked a little
band of brothers.
Right.
Inadequate for the task.
Totally uneducated.
Just normal guys.
Right.
And He left them with the task
of being disciple making disciples
and from this little place
in the Middle East
the fire of the kingdom of God
has spread rampantly across the world
because these people got
that the task of propagating the truth
of sowing seed was theirs.
What is happening to us in America?
Have we forgotten that that is
what we're supposed to be about?
Right.
Not merely about learning things
knowing who our God is
but knowing who our God is
so that other people can know
who our God is
so that we can sing His praises
more accurately
and more loudly
for the world to hear.
I want a big bag of seed.
That's why I should be studying
the Word of God.
Right.
I want to spread it everywhere.
I want to feel speaking to people's lives
at every turn
and at every occasion.
So we see this good seed
and I hope
genuinely
immense desire in my heart
that everyone in this room
can say
I'm good soil.
I may be distracted often.
I may not live
and be devoted to Christ
the way I should be today
but I'm good soil
and I can say that with confidence.
I know for a fact
that the seed of the Word
is taking root in my heart
and it's working on me
and it's changing me.
I feel conviction for sin.
I desire to be more holy.
I want to give my life
for the kingdom.
I hope that's true
of you.
2 Corinthians chapter 2
verse 14 and 17
Turn there with me
if you will please.
Now I don't try
to like to play
with symbolism too much
in the scriptures.
So often we try to draw
these neat little connections
between various parables
or various analogies
that Paul gives to us
and they're not really
always meant to be done.
So I just want you
to hear that clearly.
Don't draw connections
between my analogies
because analogies
fall short at every point.
There's always something
that kind of doesn't quite.
A lesser truth
meant to expose
a larger truth
just doesn't quite
get there all the time.
But in 2 Corinthians chapter 2
verses 14 through 17
Paul says
But thanks be to God
who in Christ Jesus
always leads us
in triumphal procession
there's a great victory
in that
and through us
spreads the fragrance
of the knowledge of Him
everywhere.
I love that language.
Spreads the fragrance
of the knowledge
of Him everywhere.
And as I was reading that
these last couple of weeks
the idea in my mind
is that
we're talking probably
about wheat
in this parable here
but that as fruit
the way that fruit
gets on the ground
and then like an apple tree
for example
as it falls to the ground
and it rots
and apple trees
smell amazing
when they're doing that
for a while
they can stink
after that rot
goes too far
so there's the analogy
falling short
so you walk by
an apple tree
that's got apples
on the ground
that are rotting
and it just smells
wonderful
because those fruits
have gotten riper
and riper
they've got all that
good sugar in them
which is there
to nourish the seed
in its beginning stage
it starts to break down
so that seed
can get in the ground
and make a new
apple tree
and so there's my
mixing of analogies
for you today
verse 15
for we the aroma
of Christ
to God
among those
who are being saved
and among those
who are perishing
to one a fragrance
from death to death
to the other fragrance
from life to life
who is sufficient
for these things
we've been given
the task
of propagating
of sowing seed
who is sufficient
for these things
for we are not
like so many
peddlers
of God's word
but as men of sincerity
as commissioned
by God
in the sight of God
we speak
in Christ
right
we are sufficient
for these things
because we are
in Christ
we're sufficient
for them
because Christ
is sufficient
Christ is more
than sufficient
for these things
Christ is
the great
sower
now as you think
about all of this
I mentioned before
sometimes I get depressed
being an American Christian
oh I want to see
good soil
springing up
and fruit
being produced
and we see
these different
types of soils
just to give you
some comfort
in thinking
well it seems
hopeless
it seems hard
you shouldn't be
hearing it that way
you should be hearing
that there is good soil
right
and that the sower
puts the seed
in the good soil
and that it does
in fact produce
fruit
but let's listen
to some other promises
that the sower
will yield
his harvest
turn with me
to the book of Hosea
Old Testament book
of Hosea
just after Daniel
if that helps you
if you're flipping
back and forth
Hosea is referred to
as a minor prophet
which doesn't mean
he's less important
but just that the book
is shorter
major and minor prophets
this is a minor prophet
my favorite
of the minor prophets
really really love
the book of Hosea
Hosea is commanded
by God
to go and take
a wife
who's a harlot
she's said
she will cheat
on you
she will not be
faithful to you
and it's meant
to be this picture
this great display
of the way that
Israel betrayed
God
the way that Israel
was unfaithful
to God
and they have
three children
that are recorded here
it's presumed
the way the account
speaks of it
in chapter 1
you'll notice
in verse 4
they have a son
together
God tells Hosea
to name him
Jezreel
which means
to scatter
then it would appear
she has a daughter
not likely with him
but it's also
Hosea's daughter
because he is a good
husband and father
in that way
and God tells him
to name her
Lo-Ruhamah
which means
no mercy
your translation
probably says
no mercy
then again
likely she has
a son
not with him
because he's
a good husband
and father
calls him his own
and God tells him
to name him
Lo-Ami
which means
not my people
or those for
kid names for you
to scatter
no mercy
and not
my people
but then turn
to Hosea chapter 2
we see in this
great pageant
played out
God
calling Israel
back to himself
in the same way
as we
get further on
in Hosea chapter 2
and then into
chapter 3
Hosea goes
and calls Gomer
back to himself
it's such a beautiful picture
but listen to what God says
beginning in verse 21
and in that day
I will answer
declares the Lord
I will answer the heavens
and they shall answer
the earth
and the earth
shall answer the grain
the wine
and the oil
and they shall answer
Jezreel
now remember
first son
is named Jezreel
which means to scatter
but it also meant
to plant
what do you do to plant
seed
you scatter it
right
so it had both
a negative meaning
as well as a positive
and he's putting the positive
application here
at the end of verse 22
they shall answer
Jezreel
we are planted
verse 23
and I will sow her
for myself
in the land
and I will have
mercy
or ruhamah
on no mercy
and I will say
to not my people
you are my people
or ami
and he shall say
you are my God
isn't that a beautiful picture
of him sowing
and establishing
his people
in his land
after Jesus teaches
about the drinking
of his blood
and the eating of his flesh
in John chapter 6
verse 65
he says
this is why I told you
that no one can come to me
unless it is granted
him by the father
this is a great example
of this
right
after this
many of the disciples
turned back
and no longer
walked with him
he explained to them
that what it meant
to abide with him
what it meant
to be in Christ
and it was hard
for them to understand it
it's hard for them
to understand it
and he says
this is why I told you
that no one can come to me
unless the father is granted
by the father
right
this is the evidence of that
you don't understand this
because it was not given
to you by the father
that you should come to me
and the disciples left
verse 67
so Jesus said
to the twelve
do you want to go away
as well
and Simon Peter
answered him
Lord
to whom shall we go
where would we go
you have the words
of eternal life
and we have believed
and have come to know
that you are the holy one
of God
good soil
right
the word
had taken root
in his heart
where are we going
to go
right
they followed him
to death
right
through various circumstances
but they followed him
to death
the disciples
martyred on his behalf
Isaiah chapter 55
gotta go here too
Isaiah chapter 55
Isaiah is a major prophet
again because of the length
of the book
Isaiah chapter 55
there's some classically
quoted texts here
that
that I hear
by themselves
very often
but not together
all that often
and
I was
very invigorated
when I saw
their nature
together
and why it is
that
that God spoke
through Isaiah
in this way
it says in verse 8
for my thoughts
are not your thoughts
neither are your ways
my ways
declares the Lord
for as the heavens
are higher than the earth
so are my ways
higher than your ways
and my thoughts
than your thoughts
so as you're contemplating
this soil condition
right
as you're trying to work
through
the schemes of man
to bring about salvation
right
hear this
my thoughts
are not your thoughts
neither are my ways
your ways
declare the Lord
verse 10
for as the rain
and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return there
but water the earth
making it bring forth
and sprout
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater
so shall my word be
that goes out
from my mouth
it shall not return
to me empty
but it shall accomplish
that which I purchase
purpose
and shall succeed
in the thing
for which I sent it
the rain
will accomplish
what I sent it
to do
right
we use this
we speak of this
speaking of the word of God
all the time
right
it is my prayer
before I preach
that God will accomplish
what he intends to accomplish
on a Sunday morning
right
in spite of all of my frailty
and all of my inability
and all of my insecurity
right
that he will accomplish
what he intends to accomplish
by that
in verse 12
for you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace
it's in this promise
to those of us
who believe
in the gospel
the mountains and the hills
before you
shall break forth
into singing
and all the trees
of the field
shall clap their hands
right
the knowledge
of the glory of God
being spread
amongst the world
instead of the thorn
shall come up the cypress
instead of the briar
shall come up the myrtle
and it shall make
a name for the Lord
an everlasting sign
that shall not be
cut off
there's promise
in this
that there is
good soil
right
it exists
in the world
and therefore
as the synod of Dort
concluded
we ought to be
sowing seed
right
promiscuously
such a negative word
so often
right
but we ought to be
throwing it
in abundance
we ought to be going out
being people
of the word
that sow
the knowledge
of Jesus Christ
everywhere
so
what kind of soil
are you
you must
ask yourself
that question
you must pray
if you are not
good soil
if you don't have
a confidence
in that
you must
pray
that God
would save your soul
repent
and believe
recognize
the depth
of your sin
your offense
to God
and turn to him
right
he's a loving God
he has a bounding mercy
to pour out on you
there's nothing
you can do
there's no great sin
that would cause God
to not want to show you mercy
so cry out to him
if you're good soil
you may find yourself
this morning
and I would imagine
that most of us do
not bearing fruit
thirty fold
and sixty fold
and a hundred fold
right
but cold
in our affection
for Christ
pray this morning
that God would work
in you
right
that the roots
would go down
deeper
sprout up more
that you might produce
and produce
and I promise you
if you will do this
you will never
regret it
to the end of your life
wherever God takes you
to the hardest places
of the world
the great trial
and persecution
even possibly
to death
for your faith
you will never regret
trading the things
of this world
the lesser joy
for the greater joy
that is found
in Christ
let's pray together
a lot of times