Mark chapter 4, who loves a good story?
I think we all do.
Sometimes people are prone to watch a good movie
especially if they sing it to you.
But without television and digital devices
the first century was filled with storytellers.
Good storytellers.
But nobody could speak a truth better than the Lord Jesus.
Man, he knew how to tell a story.
He used stories a lot.
And his stories fit the culture in which he lived.
The stories fit the settings in which he lived.
But his stories turned everything upside down.
He left people amazed.
And he told a lot of them.
Matthew records more than 24.
Luke records almost that many.
Mark don't record many because he's in a hurry.
Mark don't have time for stories.
He's in a race to get to the cross.
And he spends half of the gospel of Mark speaking of the last week of Christ.
However, he does include a few.
We're going to look at the first one this morning together.
It's in Luke chapter 4 beginning in verse 1 and it says this.
Again, he began to teach beside the sea.
And a very large crowd gathered about him so that he got into a boat and set 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 this teaching, he said to them, listen.
Behold, a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path.
And the birds came and devoured it.
Other seeds 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 the thorns.
And the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no grain.
And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain.
Growing up and increasing and yielding 30-fold and 60-fold and 100-fold.
And then he said, he who has ears, let him hear.
Now, the parables of Jesus, and they call these stories parables
because parable means it comes alongside a truth.
The parables of Jesus often mystified and stupefied his listeners
because he didn't explain them.
He just told the story and moved on.
And some of them looked like I did when I took college English
and we would read a story and I would get to class
and they would explain what that story was really talking about.
Looked like a mule at a new gate.
Golly, you know.
And that's what a lot of folks, when they heard these stories,
his disciples were no better than that.
They didn't understand.
So he takes the time often to explain his stories to his disciples
as he trains up these 12.
And thankfully, he shares that with us as well here in Mark
because he explains it beginning in verse 14.
And he says,
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 ones who, when they hear the word,
immediately receive it with joy.
And they have no root in themselves,
but endure for a while.
And then when tribulation and persecution arises on account of the word,
immediately they fall away.
And others are the ones sown among thorns.
They are those who hear the word,
but the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches
and the desires of the 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 30-fold and 60-fold and 100-fold.
The story is called the parable of the sower,
but the emphasis is not so much on the sower
as it is on the soils themselves,
the different types of soil.
Now, it requires a sower,
and that's where professed Christians come into the story.
It requires a seed,
and that's where the hope of Christ comes into the story.
And it requires scattering the seed
and the sowing of that seed.
Now, the sower is the one that shares Christ,
and the seed is the message of Christ,
the gospel message of Christ.
The soil is the state of the heart and the mind of a person.
Now, Christians, what that means
is that we all have a responsibility,
that God gives every Christian responsibility
and insight into our role in spreading the good news of Christ.
And with that, there are some commitments
that we need to embrace.
One of them is that we need to be aware.
We need to be aware.
We don't know the state of someone's life.
There are several spiritual places that they can be,
and Jesus names four of them.
And let me explain what he means by that.
Some folks have a closed mind.
The seeds which fall along the path
fall on hard ground
that the message never penetrates
within their heart and within their mind.
And that message lays atop the ground,
and the birds came down
and took that seed and ate them.
And sometimes the word of God is heard,
but someone refuses to listen.
They're too hard-hearted to even consider
what we say about the love of Christ.
Now, I want to be clear about something.
It's not our job to figure out
the state of someone's heart.
That's not our job.
It's not our job to figure out
if they're willing to listen to what we have to say.
It's our job to share it.
And if we share it, let it fall where it may,
leave the results up to God,
you're not responsible for somebody's salvation.
You're responsible with giving them the opportunity
to be saved by understanding the gospel.
Some people attend church,
and they're preset on not listening.
I can tell who you are, by the way.
But some folks come in and say,
I'm not going to allow God to move in my life today.
Their minds are made up
before they ever come in the room.
That's if they're even willing to come into the room.
Because their minds are closed to any suggestion,
and they refuse to follow.
If that be the case,
Satan easily snatches that truth from them
like a bird snatches a seed.
It's gone.
Then in verse 5 and 6,
he speaks of a different state of mind,
the rocky soil,
which speaks of a clouded mind.
And these seeds fall on rocky soil,
and they shoot up quick,
but they're scorched by the sun quick
because they have no root base.
This shallow soil represents people
who receive the word of God with joy,
but they quickly fade away.
Life gets real,
and it happens fast.
And they're clouded by the hardship
or the pressure that they feel under.
They love the thrill of a spiritual renewal,
the recognition that goes with that,
but it never really sinks in.
They're never committed to sink their roots
into God's truth.
There's a lot of people
in a lot of churches
that walk down the aisle
and are baptized
and are never seen again
in that church.
Many of them were never saved.
And the evidence of that shows.
I mean, they wanted the excitement.
And listen, folks,
I think we ought to get excited
when somebody gives their heart
and life to the Lord.
Some of y'all cheered yesterday,
embarrassingly so.
You know?
For whoever you're rooting for,
some of you cheered for two days.
I did.
We get so excited.
And then I watched at least part
of six, seven, eight games
over the last,
sometimes four at a time,
but over the last couple of days.
Seriously.
And I can't hardly tell you
any of it right now,
just to be honest with you.
But it was good at the time,
and I was excited about that.
When somebody makes a commitment to Christ,
I believe we ought to celebrate them.
I believe when they walk down this aisle
that we ought to let them know
how proud we are of them
and how we're praying for them
and how we'll be here for them.
And when they go through
those baptismal waters,
I think we ought to cheer for them.
Like you did on your couch
or like you did in a bleacher
or like you did in a box
or wherever you were yesterday,
I think you ought to cheer for somebody
who gives their heart and life to the Lord
more than you do a touchdown.
And let them know that.
And by the way,
if they're kids
and they're up in the baptismal area,
I've told them
they can't look out at you.
If they look out at you,
they go back up,
they don't get baptized.
That's the way I am.
I run a strict ship.
So they're not going to look at you.
So let them hear you.
Cheer for them.
I think it's something
that we ought to celebrate with that.
But I'll tell you,
sadly,
sometimes people,
they get excited.
They feel guilty
about what they've done.
They want to join the gang.
They need a fresh start.
But they don't really surrender
their life to the Lord.
Maybe it's a split decision
in the moment
and they're confused
about the circumstances.
They're clouded
by the world around them.
And as soon as Monday comes,
which is the trial,
by the way,
they fall apart
and they fall away
because they never really know Christ
or who they could be in Him.
And their name lies
on a Baptist church roll
all over America.
Churches are filled with people
who they don't really know
who they are.
I'm telling you,
oh dear God,
my burden is
I hope they're saved.
Many of you know
the deep burden
that I have for that
and I try to be as thorough
as I can with the process
that when somebody comes
and shows an interest
in the Lord Jesus
that we sit down
and we talk about that.
What does it mean
to give your heart
and life to the Lord?
I sit down with parents
with their kids
and many times
I give those parents
some information
to take home
and work with their children
and I say take 30 seconds
to two minutes a night.
Don't belabor the point
but take 30 seconds
to two minutes a night
to go over these crucial verses
and explain it
to the point that
let them be able
to tell you
what it means
to give their heart
and life to the Lord.
And then once they make
that decision
we try to follow that up
with a new believer class
for them to understand
what it means
to have given their life
to the Lord.
And it's a dear burden
but clouded minds
sometimes
cause for false reactions
and we need to be sensitive
about making sure
people understand
what they're doing
when they do it.
And then in verse 7
he speaks of a cluttered mind
and the cluttered mind
or that mindset
is described as thorny ground
because it quickly sprouts up
but it gets choked out
too quickly.
And this describes
a mindset
that hears the word of God
but its power
and its personalization
gets strangled out
by the distractions
of the world's
empty promises
and cares.
People that are like this
place too much stock
in what the culture values.
They place too much stock
in their time
and their energy
and they spend it
worrying about themselves
instead of concerned
about the things of God.
How sad that is
because it's a spiritual
their spiritual potential
is there
but they're so busy
and they're so distracted
and they're so
got so misplaced values
that they smother out
God's very best
for them.
It's hard
for a cluttered mind
like this
to ever hear
his voice.
I'm with the Puritans.
We need
some time
of silence
and solitude
before the Lord
to let him speak
to us
to hear the word of God
come to life
within us.
I'm telling you
it's a living document
and when the Holy Spirit
of God
breathes through it
it changes your life
and if you'll just
give him time
to speak to your heart
and life
and not be so cluttered
by so many other things
the word of God
often is choked out
by the stuff
that clutters our life
and our mind.
And then lastly
he speaks of a committed mind
and that's where
fertile soil
where the seed
of the gospel
takes root
and grows
and people
can become
closed minded
for two reasons.
One is that
either pride
compels them
to believe
they already
know enough
or either
they become
closed
because they
fear that
hearing the truth
will demand
something of them
that they don't
want to give.
But a fertile mind
is teachable.
It's just like
that of a child
as a seven
or eight year old
that doesn't come
to church
with an unbelieving mind.
They come to church
with an openness
and a humility.
One of the greatest
compliments I've ever got
was last week
when a grandparent
brought a grandchild
that normally is not
in this church
to this church
and as they were leaving
the grandparent
told me
my child told me
that they understood
what you said.
That when they go
to church
their preacher
uses big words
and they don't
understand it
but he understood
what you said.
I said I knew
my simple mindedness
would come in handy
at some point.
children remember
more than we can imagine
because the truth
of God's word
finds a place
in a ready heart
and then the Holy Spirit
can bring that truth
to their awareness
when they need it.
So how do we respond?
I mean if we know
the Lord Jesus
how do we respond?
Well let me first
address this.
if you don't know Christ
if you've never
committed your life
to follow Christ
then quit being closed
quit being clouded
quit being cluttered
commit your life
to Christ today.
It's the greatest investment
you can make in your life.
He'll forever change you.
And for Christians
we need to be aware
that when we share
with others
hear me now
we cannot control
where that seed
of truth falls.
We just need to make sure
that it falls.
Be aware.
Second thing is
be willing.
I mean if God
has commissioned
believers to be sowers
and the seed
that we're to sow
is the gospel message
of salvation
what are we doing
about planting that seed
and when and where
are we scattering?
We should not just do it
in sure places.
We ought to step out
on the waters of faith
and we should do it
not just a few times
we need to scatter
seed abroad.
Now how do we do that?
Well you talk to people.
And when you talk to them
you ask them
if they place their faith
in Christ.
You ask them
if they're sure
that they're going to
go to heaven
when they die.
You tell them
that they can know
for sure.
It's an easy way
to have a conversation
when you ask someone
when I was a student
at New Orleans Seminary
they required us
to pass a class
that taught us
continued witness training.
CWT was an intense
evangelistic course
in the 80s
and the 90s
that you had to learn
a bunch of stuff
and they gave us
a blank sheet of paper
and we had to complete
about a 20 or 25 minute
presentation verbatim
to be able to graduate
from New Orleans
because when I was
coming through
they said
if you want to learn
how to preach
go to Southwestern.
You want to learn
how to teach
go to Southern.
You want to learn
how to testify
go to New Orleans.
And New Orleans
wanted to make sure
we knew how to testify
so we went door to door
in New Orleans
sharing Christ.
And I'd ask somebody
if you were to die today
and stand before God
and he were to ask you
why should I let you
into my heaven
what do you think
you'd say?
I'm telling you
it's an excellent question
to ask somebody.
It don't have to be
as complicated
as I just made it either.
If you were to die today
and stand before God
and he were to ask you
why should I let you
into my heaven
what do you think
you'd say?
And if they say
I had several guys
when I asked that
they'd say please.
But I hope you got
more than please
in your pocket.
Because if they respond
to you in any way
beside because of what
Christ did for me
on the cross
if they don't bring
that up
if they talk about
how good they've been
or how they hope
they're okay
if they give you anything
it's open for the gospel.
Open for the gospel.
Because your behavior
is not going to determine
your destination
in eternity.
It's not.
Your commitment to Christ
that'll change your behavior
by the way
but your commitment
to Christ
is the determining factor
for that
and it's an obvious way
to share that.
Tell them they know
for sure.
Tell them that
it's the greatest gift
is eternal life
through Christ.
Tell them what Romans 10 9
says that if you confess
with your mouth
Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised him
from the dead
you will be saved
as guaranteed.
Don't walk by
and act as if
it does not matter.
Don't come up
with an excuse.
Invite them
to church.
Invite them to come
and hear the gospel.
If you'll bring them
to Pickens First Baptist Church
I'll make sure
they hear the gospel.
I guarantee it.
You say well preacher
they won't come.
You have
hear me
you have
no idea
what soil
you're dealing with
today.
Well I just talked
to them yesterday.
Well that's yesterday.
God works
and moves
in people's life
constantly.
You don't have
any idea
where that's going
to fall
when you invite
them.
When you give
them opportunity.
God continues
to work and move.
The soils
of the hearts
change for good
and bad
over time.
Trust the Lord
in the matter
and do the work
that God
has called you
to.
Be willing.
Third thing
is be prayerful.
Be prayerful
because prayer
is where the power
is.
Pray that God
will save the sinner.
Pray that God
will give you
the burdens
for those
who are lost
without Christ.
If you've never
shared your faith
with other people
if you've never
done that
and you're
a believer
pray that God
would give you
the opportunity.
It'll change
your life.
Pray that God
will give you
the words to say.
Pray that the
Spirit of God
will move
in the conversation.
That it'll echo
in their hearts.
I've told people
that I've shared
Christ with
and they were
not receptive
to it.
I've told them
I'm going to
pray for you
daily
that you'll
be miserable
until you
give your life
to Christ.
I have
and I'll do
it again too
so that they
would understand
I'd rather you
be miserable
here than
miserable for
all of eternity.
I hope he
leaves you
up at night
until you
call me
and say
I want
Christ
in my life.
Pray that God
will open
another door
of opportunity.
Pray that God
will give clarity
in the conversation
and in the
afterthoughts.
If you'll pray
that way
and you'll leave
that prayer
expecting
I'm telling you
something
God will make
it happen.
He's the Lord
of the harvest
where the scatters
of seed
and I want to
give you a warning
because if you'll
get this burden
in your heart
and you'll look
for opportunities
sometimes you'll
walk away
from a conversation
with someone
and you'll realize
afterwards you missed
the opportunity.
You missed it.
You had it
but you missed it.
And you may
feel hounded
by that.
Thank God
sometimes
God opens
doors twice.
Now I'm not
encouraging you
to wait
until the second
time
but if you
miss it
trust God
to open it
again
and then
when he does
walk through it
follow his lead
trust him.
Be prayerful
there's power
in prayer.
Next thing
is be sharing.
Scatter the seed.
Don't just pray
about it.
Do it.
Invite folks
to come
and hear the
gospel.
Another story
that Christ
shared in Luke
chapter 12
verse 16
through 20
it says this
and he told
them a parable
saying the land
of a rich man
produced plentiful
and he thought
to himself
what shall I
do for I
have nowhere
to store my
crops
and he said
I'll do
this I
will tear
down my
barns
and I'll
build larger
ones and
there I'll
store all my
grain and my
goods
and I'll
say to my
soul soul
you have
ample goods
laid up
for many
years relax
eat drink
be merry
but God
said to him
fool this
night your
soul is
required of
you and
the things
that you
prepared
whose you
will they
be
so it
is the
one who
lays up
treasure for
himself and
is not rich
toward God
this is a
reminder that
if we get
so busy
successfully
or struggling
either way
if we get
so busy
that we
forget
eternal
things
we need
to be
careful
because whether
we're struggling
or whether we're
successful
either way
not only could
our souls
be required
of us
but it
could be
required
of our
neighbors
as well
this could
be the
day of
the last
breath
have we
done all
we could
hear me
today
we're not
responsible
for the
condition
of the
soul
which is
the soil
we're not
responsible
for the
convicting
we can't
convict
anybody
we're not
responsible
for the
harvest
I've never
saved anybody
nor have
you
we are
responsible
for the
scattering
I have a
handheld
broadcaster
it's a little
device that you
can put some
seed in the
top of it
it's got a
little crank
on the
side of it
man you
crank that
around
you can
throw that
stuff
better than
you can
with the
arm
when I
turn the
wheel it
throws the
seed
and the
harder the
wheel turns
the more
seed it
thrown out
and the
further it
goes
the same
is true
for the
gospel
broadcast
the love
of God
turn hard
at it
let it
spread wide
and often
do it at
school
do it at
work
do it at
home
do it
with your
neighbors
do it at
!
at ball
games
do it at
the grocery
store
just watch
and see
what happens
God blesses
such as that
I'm just
telling you
and lastly
be sacrificial
we're
responsible
for spreading
but we
can only
spread so
far
with our
voice
on our
feet
and I
mentioned
that I
have a
handheld
broadcaster
that I
have but
I also
have a
larger one
that I
pull behind
my lawnmower
and it
does a lot
more than
that handheld
thing
does
it
throws out
the seed
so much
further
that it
reaches
places
that I
can't even
walk into
sometimes
and that's
what the
Lottie Moon
Christmas
offering for
international
missions does
for us
it scatters
the seed
from pickings
across the
world
God has
called men
and women
and families
to go
and as
he's called
them to
go he's
called us
to support
them as
they go
to prayerfully
support them
to sacrificially
support them
their sacrifices
are amazing
and because
their sacrifices
are amazing
ours should
be too
God gave
me a burden
about this
years ago
and I try
to travel
internationally
every year
if God
will allow
me to
to be able
to touch
base with
missionaries
that are on
the field
and the
sacrifices
they make
I don't
feel called
to do
what they
do
but I
feel called
to go
and find
out what
they do
and find
out how
we can
help
them
and how
we can
pray for
them
and to
come back
and drum
up
support
prayer
support
giving
support
asking God
to allow
them to
remain
on the
field
and serve
the Lord
praying that
God would
provide more
to go
pray that
those who
feel called
to go
will have
the resources
to be able
to go
we've got
people that
feel called
to go
that are
qualified
to go
that have
been certified
to go
and are
waiting
to go
we have
the opportunity
in the month
of December
to cast
seed into
those fields
that we
will never
see
to enable
those who
are called
and waiting
to go
to get
the green
light
I mean
we can
touch hearts
that will
never meet
this side
of eternity
won't have
be fun
think about
that
they'll go
in places
that will
never travel
they'll speak
in languages
that will
never speak
people
let's
spread
seed
further
than we
can ever
imagine
and pray
that God
will get
in it
and bring
a bountiful
harvest
because
we've done
our part
both here
I'm not
letting you
off the
hook
both here
and over
there
the sacrifice
is big
if you look
at the front
of your
worship
bulletin
you'll see
that our
goal this
year
is
$70,000
that's
greater
than our
needs
for three
weeks
in our
budget
and the
task
is huge
and the
task
is
worldwide
and I
ask you
to give
as God
allows you
to give
and I
want to be
clear
just a
teaching tool
here
I believe
in storehouse
tithing
I believe
that you
ought to
give your
tithe to
the Lord
where you're
fed
and as
God
enables
you
to give
more
than that
tithe
then you
give it
to special
causes
as God
leads you
to
Lottie Moon
is a
special
cause
don't
misplace
God's
money
and put
it
there
ask God
to give
you
the ability
to give
as he would
enable you
to give
to the
Lottie Moon
Christmas
offering
I grew up
my church
I grew up
in had
a post office
at Christmas
time
and if
you would
bring your
Christmas
cards
don't mail
them
but
if you'd
bring your
Christmas
cards to
church
and you'd
pay a
quarter
and I
think a
stamp
was 19
cent then
so they
were making
some money
but if
you'd bring
that and
give a
quarter
for every
card that
you gave
to people
in the
church
all that
money would
go to
Lottie Moon
and then
you could
go by
the post
office
and see
if you
get any
mail
see if
you get
Christmas
cards
and then
get mad
at people
who don't
bring
you
money
and I
remember
hearing
that
that's
what I
remember
about
Lottie Moon
growing up
and when I
started preaching
and became a
pastor over
30 years ago
I got some
stuff in the
mail about
Lottie Moon
Christmas
offering
and I
started
reading it
and studying
and preparing
for it
to speak
on it
and I
was blown
away
God
convicted my
heart
and I
wanted to
give to
it
and I
didn't have
the money
to give
to it
I mean
I was
full-time
pastor
making
half-time
pay
you know
I
would
tithe
my money
and I
would write
on the
calendar
what I
had given
and what
I owed
and said
Lord help
me make
up the
difference
and I
wanted to
give Lottie Moon
and I
didn't have
to give
I don't
remember
if I
gave
anything
that year
if I
didn't
give
much
I
don't
remember
the
deal
but I
remember
God
planted
something
in my
heart
and I
don't know
where it
came from
except by
the Holy
Spirit of
God
but he
planted
something
in my
heart
and I
took my
change
the next
year
and I
stuck it
in a
coffee jar
I don't
know
to be
honest
I don't
know if
Lottie got
my quarters
or not
but I
stuck my
change
in that
jar
God
had
given
me
a
figure
in
my
head
that
year
I
couldn't
give
much
and I
started
throwing
my
change
in that
jar
this is
actually
when you
had
change
remember
those
days
but anyway
I
started
throwing
my
and when
I
got
to the
end
of
the
year
I
took
that
change
out
and I
rolled
it
and I
counted
it
and it
was
almost
exactly
the
figure
that
God
had
given
me
the
previous
Christmas
and he
planted
something
in my
heart
about how
at Christmas
time we
need to
give a
Christmas
gift
to
missions
to be
faithful
to give
as God
gives us
opportunity
this is
a task
that is
huge
it is
worldwide
but it's
also very
personal
because it
starts
when you
get up
in a
few
minutes
and walk
out that
door
you're
to be
scattering
don't
wave
ugly
signs
at the
people
who
don't
stop
quick
enough
in a
row
don't
do
that
in front
of the
church
share
the gospel
as you
go
scatter
seed
and let's
impact
people's
lives
right here
in
Pickens
as
Jesus
put it
in
Jerusalem
and Judea
and Samaria
and the
uttermost
that we'll
never see
with our
own eye
let's give
faithfully
let's be
all we can
be for the
Lord
let's reach
as far
as we
can
for Christ
most
importantly
I want you
to hear
this morning
if you've
never
surrendered
your life
to the
Lord Jesus
Christ
the greatest
life that you
can have
on this
earth
is one
that is
with Christ
and I
have prayed
that seed
will fall
on fertile
soil
today
that's ready
to receive
the gospel
message
if you'll
acknowledge the
sin in your
life
ask God to
forgive you
of that
sin
and commit
your life
to follow
Christ
today
he'll save
you
he'll
change
you
we'll
come
alongside
you
we'll
nurture
you
we'll
help
you
grow
in him
but if
you've
never
given
your heart
and life
to the
Lord
I don't
care if
everybody
in this
room
thinks you
have
or nobody
thinks you
have
if you've
never given
your heart
and life
to the
Lord
when we
stand and
sing in
just a
moment
I want
you to
come
and say
pastor I
want to
be
saved
maybe
you're
here and
you have
done
that
but you've
never
acknowledged
that
publicly
it's
always been
something
private
in your
heart
it's not
something
just to be
private
in your
heart
it's
something
to publicly
profess
if you've
never done
that I
encourage you
to come
we guide
you in
the next
steps
to what
that means
maybe you're
here and
God's
leading you
to Pickens
First Baptist
Church
this is
the place
that you
would plant
your life
you feel
led that
way
we'll guide
you in
that process
as well
I don't
know what
God's telling
you to do
I don't
know what
he's laid
upon your
heart
but I know
you'll never
be satisfied
unless you're
obedient to
follow him
so do exactly
what he tells
you to do
this morning
Heavenly
Father I
love you
and I
thank you
Lord for
the love
that you
have for
us
and I
ask right
now dear
God
that you'll
help us
to simply
be obedient
to follow
exactly what
you'd have
us to do
help us
be satisfied
with nothing
less
help us
do nothing
more
than simply
obey you
lead and
guide us
right now
as I pray
in Jesus
name
amen
do