Mark 4:1
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." The Bible contains very distinct pieces of knowledge. Each piece contains nuggets of realization that equal “a Word”. Like when someone says, “I got a Word from God.” According to this parable, each “Word” we get represents a seed. Like ALL seed, each WORD seed has within it miraculous potential. AND, like any other seed, it MUST be PLANTED before that potential can become a reality. A seed is a unit of HOPE. Jesus said even the smallest seed of faith (which is the substance of things hoped for) can move mountains. A single wheat seed can, over time, feed an entire continent. In Ephesians 3:20 we read, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” If your heart/your soil conditions are right A WORD SEED will grow inside of you, and produce an unimaginable harvest in your life. In Genesis 1:11(NLT) we read, “Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." Wheat seed produces more wheat. Chickens produce more chickens. Each Word seed, a seed of knowledge that has inside of it all of the power of God Himself, will actually increase your ability to receive MORE nuggets of realization. In Romans 10:17 we read, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” This ‘hearing’ is called a “rhema” word, or revelation. In Greek, the word rhema means "an utterance." In 2nd Timothy 3:16 (AMP) we read, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (whispered into the ear of the writer, given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action).” The rhema word refers to a moment when scripture "speaks" to a believer. A rhema word almost always applies to a current situation or need. Consequently, a rhema word is extremely valuable in your walk with God. We can count on the Rhema Word to have a deep, personal meaning. In John 6:63 we read, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” We are given spiritual wisdom and knowledge as we read. Why? God WANTS To have an IMMEDIATE impact in our circumstances!! In Matthew 4:4 we read, “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” God is with us when we read His word and He is able to make His words come alive in our hearts. In Isaiah 55: 10 we read, ”As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
1. The seed is a potential reality (hope Word).
2. It grows up into a present reality (faith Word).
3. It then becomes a harvested reality (A CONFESSION Word).
Faith pulls what you hope for from the future and brings it into the now.
In Mark 11:23 we read, “Have (NOW) faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart (NOW) but believes that what he says (NOW) will happen (IN THE FUTURE), it will be done for him (NOW). Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it (WHEN YOU PRAY, IN THAT NOW MOMENT), and it will be yours (IN THE FUTURE).” In the spirit you have to get your tenses right! Hope says you can have it, faith says you do have it. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said, “The seed is the Word.” In 1st Peter 1:23 we read, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Nothing can take the place of the seed, not even prayer. Prayer is not the seed: the Word is the seed. The possibilities of the “imperishable seed” are infinite.
Only the “imperishable seed” can bring about imperishable results. In Mark 4:14 we read, “The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.” There is a SHIFT in the parable.
WE become like SEED. So, now the WORD SEED planted in us, makes us like SEED. And NOW, WE MUST BE PLANTED. By PLANTED, God means what kind of FIELD we choose to put OURSELVES into. By the way, it is WITH OUR MINDS that our hearts believe. Our field, our mind, how we think, what we do, can become a BATTLEFIELD.
What were the 4 types of soil?
1. On the path where people walk – not teachable mindset
2. On rocky ground – Quitter mindset
3. On soil already filled with plants having thorns – Bad priority mindset
4. On good soil – Balanced life (Body, Soul and Spirit)
A balanced life is AN ABUNDANT LIFE. Seed planted in good ground will grow into abundant life. That is what Jesus tells us in John 10:10. The action equivalent to planting would be to obey it. In James 1:22 we read,
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The power of the SEED WORD is released the moment it ENTERS your heart. Your heart is where YOU BELIEVE. Believing increases your FAITH SEED. We might read Romans 10:17 this way: “Faith comes by (an outward) hearing and (then an inward) hearing by the (spoken AND personal) word of God.” In Matthew 7:24-27 we read, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Every time we read from God’s word, we have a decision to make. Do we Obey or do we do what we want to do? Each time we obey, we plant more seeds in our heart. We can call this life of faith A HARVEST. In Mark 4:20 we read, “…like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” BUT notice the harvest equals MORE than what WE PLANT!! In 1st John 4:4 we read, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
The harvest of a WORD seed ALWAYS equals one of God’s promises.
1. God has promised to supply every need we have.
2. God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us.
3. God has promised that FOR US, all things WILL work together for good.
God’s promises are for TODAY; His TIME is always TODAY.
