The Sower
Mark 4:1-9
Intro
Jesus made use of parables to get across some of his greatest lessons. The parable of the sower contains a message for the church and for each one of here tonight.
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I. The Sower
a. Christ
b. All who teach the truth
i. Parents
ii. Teachers
iii. Ministers
iv. Anyone and everyone
c. Galatians 6:7-9
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
II. The Seed – the Word of God (v. 14)
a. The Word of God is living and has tremendous vitality (Matt. 13:38)
“And the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one.”
b. The Word of God is truth
c. The Word of God makes faith possible (Romans. 10:17)
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
d. The Word of God is used by the Holy Spirit in producing the new birth
III. The Soil
a. The condition of the soil at planting time largely determines the harvest.
i. This truth can greatly encourage the Christian worker who has become discouraged because of the unresponsiveness of those to whom he seeks to witness.
ii. By this parable, our Lord was teaching us that people were not always responsive to Him.
iii. If we look at this parable mathematically, it is possible that only 25 percent responded genuinely.
iv. There are many different responses to the Word of God taught in the classroom today, proclaimed from the pulpit, and whispered from one heart to another.
b. Someone has seen in the four types of soil four conditions of heart: deceived, demonstrative, distracted, and discerning.
i. Wayside hearers – deceived hearts
1. Some hearts are hard and unreceptive and do not have any intention of receiving the Word of God.
2. Many deceive themselves into believing that they do not need Christ.
3. Some deceive themselves into thinking that Christian commitment is unimportant.
4. Other hearts are indifferent. The gospel is not permitted to enter the mind or conscience.
5. Some neither believe nor disbelieve.
a. They merely ignore it.
b. There people hear the Word of God but let the Devil snatch it away before it has an opportunity to germinate and grow.
ii. Stony ground hearts – demonstrative
1. There any many who receive the seed of God’s truth in a superficial manner
a. They make a sentimental emotional response
2. The moral nature is not affected.
3. The intellect and will remain unchanged
4. Many are attracted to Christ but never let his teaching get beyond the surface or circumference of their lives.
a. The shallowness of their response becomes painfully evident in a time when moral discrimination or courage is required.
iii. The occupied heart – distracted
1. Some of the seed fell on soil that was already occupied by thorny plants.
a. The seed here did not have much of a chance.
b. It is very easy to pack life so full of interests that there is no room for Christ.
c. As life becomes complicated, some have difficulty in establishing priorities.
2. The cares of this world.
a. Anxiety over the normal routine of life causes some people to become so preoccupied that god is crowded out.
3. The deceitfulness of riches.
a. The luxuries that are available have a way of becoming considered as necessities.
b. All of us are encouraged by society to desire riches.
c. People judge success in terms of riches.
d. Mammon very definitely is a rival of God for the throne of your heart.
e. Because we call the desire for riches something else, we are in great danger of being deceived.
4. The lust for other things.
a. Contentment with the necessities of life is a rare virtue.
b. Those who set their minds on material things will find that the acquiring of such, instead of bring satisfaction, really increases the desire for more things.
iv. Good ground – discerning hearts
1. Some people go to church to take a walk.
a. Some go to laugh and others go to talk.
b. Some go to meet a lover while others go to cover a fault.
c. Some go to meet a friend, while others go because they have time to spend.
2. Those who are wise go to worship God and to hear divine truth.
a. Hear the Word attentively
b. Hear the Word prayerfully
c. Hear the Word responsively
d. Hear the Word obediently
Closing
The question I have for you tonight is this: How do you respond to the Word of God? Do you hear it in a hard-hearted, half-hearted, or whole-hearted manner?
