Introduction Series

“And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching.”

I have been preparing for this series for quite some time now. We are going to spend a few weeks on the “Parable of the Sower.” As I was reading this parable one day in the office I read one sentence that especially made me pay attention. It was in verse 13: “And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” When I read that, this parable took on a whole new meaning for me. Jesus said that the Parable of the Sower is the key to understanding every other parable; it is the most important parable He taught. That means that this particular parable must be pretty important! It was then that I felt the Lord speak to me and tell me that I need to explain this to our church. Jesus almost always taught in parables. We need to understand the whole Word of God and apparently we need to start here in order to understand all the rest of Jesus’ teachings.

In this series, we are going to go back in time about 2,000 years and join the crowd that gathered by the sea to hear Jesus explain how everything works in the Kingdom of God. Jesus delivers His teaching and instruction, through a parable, which means a comparison.

Have you ever heard people say, “Everything happens for a reason?” It is true, everything does happen for a reason and that reason is found in this parable. We are going to discover over the next few weeks some very important truths:

➢ This parable explains what God does, how He does it and why.

➢ It explains what Satan does, how he does it and why.

➢ It explains what happens to you, what you should do, and why you should do it.

➢ The answer to every problem that affects mankind, including health problems, premature death, financial problems and relationship problems, is to be found in this one parable.

How many are interested now? If we really understand this parable, we can know how to get answers, how to receive breakthrough financially, physically and emotionally. So, we are going to take our time and work through it in its entirety. I encourage you to come out to as many Sunday night services as you can because we are going to continue on Sunday nights as well.

Let’s read the whole parable that we are talking about as we get started. I am going to try my best not to stop while reading it because this is what we will spend the next several weeks on.

Mark 4:3-20; “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them,[b] “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’”[c]

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 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.”