Characteristics Of Good Ground Series

The Parable of the Sower – 10

“Characteristics of Good Ground”

Mark 4:20

“But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

We are going to wrap up this series on the Parable of the Sower today. If I took time to review this series, we would spend the whole morning on review because there is so much information on this subject. It is important to remember that Jesus said that we must understand this parable if we want to understand all the other parables.

So far, we have seen that Satan has five key strategies he uses to keep the Word from becoming deeply implanted in our hearts. If we don’t get the Word implanted in our hearts, then there is no way that we can live an overcoming life.

➢ Affliction - The Greek word for affliction is “thilipsis:” Meaning, “pressure of circumstances, anguish, or tribulation which can be financial, physical, mental or emotional in nature.”

➢ Persecution - “A pressure, anguish, trouble or a situation where people are used as the instrument.”

➢ Cares of this world

➢ Deceitfulness of riches

➢ Lust of the flesh

We not only have discovered all the strategies, we have also discovered how to overcome them and still remain victorious in spite of all his attacks. Both this morning and tonight we are going to talk about the fourth type of ground. “Good Ground.”

Mark 4:20, “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

➢ The word “Good” in the Greek is “Kalos,” which means “beautiful, valuable, virtuous, better and worthy.”

The person who hears, receives and brings forth fruit are those who are beautiful, valuable, virtuous, and worthy in God’s sight. I want to be good ground. Luke gives the same parable, but in different words:

Luke 8:15, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

The first thing Luke notices is that Jesus talks about the heart that these good ground people have. That shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus is always concerned with the heart more than anything else. Why does Jesus talk about the heart in relation to the ground? In order to understand what you need to do in order to be good ground, we must first understand that we need to hear, receive, and plant the Word deeply in our heart. Let’s go back to the first type of ground to understand the last type of ground.

Matthew 13:19, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”

In order to see why Wayside People don’t understand the Word we have to look at the first part of Matthew 13:15, “For this people’s hearts has grown dull or waxed gross.” In other words, their heart is hard; they don’t want to receive the Word. We must protect ourselves from growing hard.

I. HARD HEARTS

In order to really understand the problem of hard hearts, we have to look at two stories of two different miracles of Jesus. The first miracle is Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread. The second miracle is Jesus feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread. In both miracles, there is lots of food left over. After the feeding of the 4,000, Jesus and the disciples get into a boat and head across the lake. Let’s read what happens next. Remember, this is right after Jesus feeds the 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and there is plenty of bread left over.

Mark 8:14-21, “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “ Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” 21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”