Sharing And Accepting The Word Of God Series

GOSPEL OF MARK: GOD’S SERVANT IN ACTION

SHARING & ACCEPTING GOD’S WORD

A. Mark 4:1-9 (READ)

1. In Mark 3, we see the CROWDS that are FOLLOWING Jesus growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS.

a. “Jesus now has His 12 apostles in place to help Him minister to the people”- Mark 3:13-19.

b. Among the CROWDS are the CURIOUS, the SCEPTICS, and the true FOLLOWERS.

2. Jesus is well aware that most of the people FOLLOWING Him are not there because He is the Son of

God, but because they are wanting to be HEALED or to see a MIRACLE.

a. Yet, Jesus takes this opportunity to TEACH them the GOOD NEWS.

b. But not everyone there who HEARS the Word of God is going to ACCEPT.

COMMENT:

Some are going to WALK AWAY as soon as Jesus begins TEACHING. Others are going to STAY long enough to be HEALED, and then Jesus will never SEE them again. Some will get EXCITED about what Jesus has to say and FOLLOW Him for a while, but when DIFFICULTIES come—they are going LEAVE Him. But then there are THOSE who will be deeply and permanently TRANSFORMED by the Words of Christ, and will FOLLOW Him to the END of their LIVES.

B. In this parable, Jesus stresses the IMPORTANCE of SHARING and ACCEPTING the Word of God.

1. As Christians, we have the responsibility of “Spreading the SEED of God’s Word” wherever we go.

a. Our CONCERN is not WHO hears the WORD, but only that they get a CHANCE to HEAR it.

b. That’s the beauty of the Word of God—the GOOD NEWS of Christ. EVERYONE—“The FOOTPATH, the ROCKY SOIL, and the THORNY SOIL” all gets the same SHOT at the SEED

of God, just as the GOOD SOIL does.

COMMENT:

God wants His WORD scattered all over the EARTH, because it has POWER to take ROOT in the HARSHEST GROUND. And once it takes ROOT, it can BEAR FRUIT. It may take a while for God’s WORD to germinate in a person’s heart, but the Bible says that “God’s WORD does not return to Him EMPTY”- Isaiah 55:10-11.

c. All that God asks of us is that we be SEED SPREADERS, and He’ll DO the rest.

2. But again, as Jesus points, not everyone with whom we SHARE the Gospel will ACCEPT it.

a. The problem is not with the SEED, but the SOIL—the HEARTS of those who HEAR the Word.

b. The key to a FRUITFUL and ABUNDANT life lies with our RESPONSE to the Word of God.

COMMENT:

As Jesus explains the parable to the apostles, we see four kinds of PEOPLE represented by the four SOILS. All four SOILS receive the same SEED—the same MESSAGE from God. Even so, there

are various RESPONSES to the Word of God, with only one type of SOIL or HEART bearing FRUIT.

C. Listen as Jesus explains the PARABLE to the apostles- Mark 4:13-20 (READ).

MESSAGE:

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT EACH CONDITION OF THE HUMAN HEART:

I. THE HARDENED HEART- vv. 4 and 15

A. Jesus- “The SEED that fell on the HARD PATH is quickly eaten by the birds.”

1. There are those out there (PEOPLE you may know) who have been beaten down by SUFFERING, by other PEOPLE who ABUSE them, by a SINFUL LIFESTYLE that has left them HARDENED

and UNYIELDING.

a. You tell them about the FORGIVENESS of God, and they don’t UNDERSTAND what you’re TALKING about or EVEN CARE.

b. These are the people who don’t want to LISTEN—their HEARTS have become HARDENED

to the Word of God that gives LIFE.

COMMENT:

Have you ever met anyone like that? You plead and plead with them to turn their lives over to Christ, and they just simply refuse to listen. They just don’t want any part of the GOSPEL of Christ. You may never see them in church, or they may attend church regularly but never respond to the INVITATION. They hear the WORD but fail to take hold of it as God’s truth for them.

2. They leave themselves OPEN for Satan to come and SNATCH the Word of God right from them.

a. Luke 8:12- “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and the devil comes and takes the

word from their hearts, so that they may not BELIEVE and be SAVED.”

COMMENT:

Satan does not want to see you SAVED! He will DECEIVE you and LIE to you, planting the SEEDS of DOUBT in your HEART. He doesn’t want you to BELIEVE there is a God, or at least to DOUBT His LOVE for you.

b. But that’s not what God wants. Paul writes that “God wants all men to be saved and come to

the knowledge of the truth”- 1 Timothy 2:3-4.