11.21.10 Comm.

Sermon Date: Nov. 21, 2010

Sermon Title: Turning The Knife On Yourself

Sermon Text: Mark 4:1-20

Small Group Text: Mark 4:1-20 Parable of the Sower Read Mark 4:1-20. Jesus, like most Rabbis of his time, often taught in parables – stories that illustrate a spiritual application. The parable of the sower was given in the context of two prevailing attitudes toward Jesus. On one hand: a growing hostility. On the other hand: a euphoric popularity. But both dispositions revealed the people’s failure to grasp Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God and Savior of the world: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) In this parable, Jesus described a farmer who was sowing seed in the common way – simply reaching into a seed bag hanging off the shoulder and tossing a handful of seed onto the field. Without the precision of modern farm machinery, the scattered seed fell onto different types of ground. The result of the harvest depended on the kinds of soil upon which the seed fell. Mark indicates that the meaning of the parable was not immediately apparent. In fact, even Jesus’ disciples had difficulty discerning its implications and asked him for clarification.

The farmer, in this case, was Jesus (Mark 1:15, 45; 2:2; 6:12); but the reference extends to anyone who proclaims the truth of God’s word. The seed symbolized the message Jesus had been preaching: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

(Mark 1:15) Jesus explained that the reason there was such wide-ranging responses to His message was due to the varying receptivity of people’s hearts. The seed (his message) was not lacking in its potential to yield an abundant harvest (a righteous, useful life); but the process did require good soil (a receptive human response). The four soil types, then, represented four heart conditions and their receptivity to the truth of God’s word respectively.

DISINTERESTED in God’s Word (hard soil) The first type is like hard-packed soil - probably footpaths through the field. This portrays people whose hearts have become so obstinate/stubborn to the truth so as to make them impenetrable to God’s word. In this case, Jesus said, the “birds of the air” (a veiled reference to Satan) swoop in to easily snatch the seed away – precluding any effect whatsoever.

DISILLUSIONED about God’s Word (shallow soil) The second type is what Jesus called rocky or shallow soil – as a thin layer of topsoil might cover a flat rock. When seed landed on this ground, it actually germinated and grew – for a short time; but it did not develop deep roots for lack of the soil’s depth.

Consequently, intense heat of the mid-day sun caused the plant to soon wither and die.

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This represents people who eagerly receive the truths of God’s word but fail to develop spiritual roots by growing in faith through spiritual insight and experience. In this case, the “heat” of disappointment, frustration, temptation and persecution takes its toll and the shallow spiritual lives wither away for lack of rootedness.

DISTRACTED from God’s Word (thorny soil) The third soil, Jesus described as thorny. In this ground, the seed sprouted and grew healthy – roots and all. But eventually, the once vigorous plant was choked out by the pervasiveness of thorny weeds that suffocated fruit production. This soil symbolizes people who receive the word of God with gladness and even develop roots by way of a deep and active commitment. But over time, spiritual vigilance wanes – leaving the heart open to competing interests that eventually dwarf its growth and productivity. These other influences are not necessarily evil at all— just-misplaced priorities that begin to take over a person's life and hinder spiritual progress and fruitfulness.

DOING WELL with God’s Word (productive—thriving and multiplying) But some soil did produce an abundant harvest – even beyond what was expected. This ground represents Christ followers who persevere in the pursuit of God. These people typically align their lives to the truths of God’s word – effectively living to serve God’s purposes throughout their lifetime.

Here’s a question!

Believers and non-believers can find their spiritual identity in one of these four soils.

Which soil represents your receptivity to the word and will of God? Is it possible your heart has become hardened and your mind closed to truth – to the point where you refuse to allow the Bible to penetrate into your life at all?

• Is it possible that, though you once made a decision to follow Christ, circumstantial hardships have caused you to become disillusioned and disappointed with Christianity? Instead of deepening your roots through faith by means of Bible reflection and cultivating a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you feel spiritually dried-up and fruitless. Maybe you’ve even said, “I gave it a shot but it doesn’t work!”

• Is it possible that, though you started following Christ well intentioned and highly committed – now, the demands and pressures of life or the pursuit of pleasure and material things dominate time and resources – overshadowing spiritual interests?

• Is it possible that your heart is represented by the good soil, a “good and noble heart” - But the seed on good soil," said Christ, "stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop" (Luke 8:15).

It is interesting to note that the word “hear” was repeated nine times in Mark 4:1-25. But Mark also mentioned such words as perceiving, understanding, listening, turning, and accepting as proper responses to hearing God’s Word. It would seem, then, that both hearing Biblical truth and acting upon it are involved in a life that produces an abundant harvest for the Lord.

Note also how the seed falling into good soil produced a harvest in varying degrees: 30, 60, 100 times what was sown. How might the fruitfulness of your Christian life be characterized presently? Are you satisfied with the yield; or could you wish for greater fruit in your life?

Here’s a thought: Jesus correlated the extent to which God’s word is heard and acted upon with the amount of seed (truth) to be additionally “tossed” our way. “Ears to hear” (Mark 4:9) reflects the theme of the Old Testament prophets who observed that God’s people had ears but were deaf to His voice (Isaiah 6:9-10; Isaiah 43:8; Isaiah 44:18; Ezekiel 12:2). The Apostle Paul made a similar observation in the early years of the New Testament church when he wrote, They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thess. 2:10) •

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Evidently, according to Jesus’ quote from Isaiah, God’s people had hardened their hearts for so long, they lost their capacity to hear him. Their penalty? God confirmed their hardness – compounding the dullness of their spiritual ears.

If, on the other hand, we want to be ever increasing in fruitfulness, we must continually hear and embrace God’s Word with a determination to act upon its truth – and staying clear of worldly distraction. What a profound and sobering thought – that our personal response to God’s word will influence the amount of insight and understanding we’ll continue to receive.

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