Scripture: Mark 4:26-34 (cf. 26 - 29)
Title: Let's Throw Some Seeds!
Scripture: Mark 4:26-34 (cf. 26 - 29)
Title: Let's Throw Some Seeds!
Theme: Organic Christianity - Scattering Seeds of Growth
I. There are some things that are under our Control
II. There are some things that are totally under God's Control
"Wisdom is knowing the difference and living accordingly"
SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:26 - 29
"He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in which his sickle, because the harvest is come.'"
INTRO:
Mr. Andrew Prior in his blog, "One Man's Web" shared this wonderful little insight as we begin to look at our passage in the Gospel of Mark this morning -
"Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season."
Anyone who has ever attempted to grow a garden or even a few plants understands the wisdom of that statement -
"Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season."
Most of chapter four is taken up with one parable after another dealing with either seeds, soil or plants. Each one of them is easy to read and Jesus takes some time to share with us some lessons that we are to glean from them - in particular, the Parable of the Four Soils. But when we come to our passage - verses 26 - 29, we don't quite have that luxury even though the more you read these verses and the more you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you the more you begin to understand the true nature of this particular Parable.
It is of course a parable about Organic growth; in particular, organic spiritual growth.
Mark wants us to understand that our spiritual growth as both individuals and as a community is more of a divine mystery than a human manipulation. This parable speaks of a walk with Jesus that leans more on the side of patience, spiritual discipline and surrender than it does on strategy, programs and agendas. That does not mean to say that we are to believe that things merely happen on their own, but, it does teach us that most of the good things that happen to us are organic in nature. This parable teaches us that it is our responsibility to work with the moving of God's Holy Spirit and not convince ourselves that we can somehow either control/manipulate God or His Kingdom.
Jesus lived in a world that was very familiar with insecurity and instability. It was not uncommon for a harvest to fail because of poor weather conditions or soil conditions. And when the harvest was plentiful more often than not the Romans would come in and take the majority of the harvest for themselves; telling the farmers that the Empire needed the grain for the military or for the elite that lived in Rome. The common folk that lived in that time simply understood that there were a number of things could happen that would overtake them and leave them homeless, penniless and reduced to a life of begging.
In some ways that is also our context as well. Oh, we may not have to worry so much about drought or the government coming in and taking our food but we do live in a time filled with anxiety, insecurity and turmoil. We live in a world of false security. Even in our country while we promote our tremendous power and might we all know that a well placed EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) bomb, the right group knowing how to bring down our power grid or hack into our most secure servers can bring our nation to its knees in a matter of minutes, hours and days.
And if you are like me, I try not to let those things concern me. There are simply some things that you and I can do nothing about and then there are things that we do have a measure of control. There are some things that our actions can make a big difference. That is a great deal what Jesus' parable in verses 26 - 29 wants to teach us.
I. We are to understand that there are some things that we can control
That is the whole meaning behind verse 26 -
"The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seeds on the ground"
There are some things that we can control around us. There are some emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually things in our lives that we are able to have a certain measure of control over and can influence through our direct actions. There are some things that we can do to make sure that we live the best life on this earth as possible.
None of us are left to mere fate. Neither are we mere pawns in some divine game played out by some capricious (fickle) divine power. We all have free will and our choices can determine a great deal what happens to us in this life.
It is true that in some degree we may have to live with some things that we inherit. That however, does not mean that our lives have been predestined like cookies are when they are put through a cookie cutter. We don't have to allow either our past circumstances or our present circumstances dictate our future. We can optimize a great measure of free will that has been given to us by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
In fact, human history is full of people who rose out of their dire circumstances. We all know the stories of people like Abraham Lincoln who started from very poor and dismal circumstances. Lincoln did not allow his lack of money, pedigree or even education get the best of him. Instead he did all he could with all he had and ended up being our 16th President. In many people's eyes he was one of our greatest Presidents.
In the book of Genesis (chapters 37 - 50), for example, we find the story of a young man around 17 years of age named Joseph. While Joseph's life started off well, he had the misfortune to be betrayed by his brothers, who out of jealousy and malice sold him into slavery. Genesis chapter 37 tells us how in a matter of minutes Joseph went from being the favored son of his father, Jacob to becoming a Midianite slave on his way to the slave market in Egypt.
As soon as they arrived in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph to a man named Potiphar. More than likely they knew that Joseph was not a real slave when they purchased him from his brothers. And so, they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. Tradition tells us that this Potiphar was in charge of keeping the peace around Egypt; he served as captain of the guard.
How would we have handled that situation? Can you imagine being sold by your family? Finding yourself hundreds of miles away from home with no hope of ever coming back? Literally going from being the favorite son of your father to being a slave in a land in which you did not know the customs, the language or the culture?
I think it would have been very easy for Joseph to have simply become depressed and convinced that the whole world was against him. It would have been easy for him to have become a problem slave doing all he could to disrupt Potiphar's household. But that is not what this young 17man did. Joseph didn't give up. He didn't quit.
Instead, the Bible tells us that Joseph decided to make the best of a horrible situation. Joseph decided that even as a slave he could sow some good seeds all around him. The Bible tells us that he excelled in his work and that in no time he was Potiphar's right hand man, running Potiphar's whole household. Joseph chose to live a life of progressive holiness. He chose to live a life in which he could positively affect the lives of all those around him. He was determined not to allow his circumstances to get the best of him. He was in effect sowing the best seeds around him to still have a wonderful life.
There was one fly in the ointment however. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a handsome young man. Somewhere in his early twenties, he caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. She was not a nice woman. She wanted Joseph to be more than an overseer of her husband's household. The Bible tells us that she lusted after Joseph. She wanted Joseph to become her secret lover. But Joseph would have nothing of the kind. He determined to stay true to his faith in God, his life of holiness and his loyalty to his master, Potiphar. He didn't want anything to do with Mrs. Potiphar. Listen to how he responds to her when she tries to seduce him:
"Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:6b - 10)
Nevertheless, one day, Potiphar's wife lured Joseph into a situation that he could not avoid. Resisting her charms once again, he turned and ran away from her as quickly as possible. You see, Joseph's heart, mind and soul were made up. He was not going to do something against God's commandments. He was going to stay true to his faith and convictions. He was going to stay true to sowing good seeds in his life.
Scorned and rejected, Potiphar's wife quickly turned the tables on Joseph and accused him of attempted rape. If she could not have Joseph then she would destroy him or at least she thought she would destroy him. She ended up causing such a scene and an outrage that Potiphar had no recourse but to condemn Joseph to spend the rest of his life in an Egyptian prison.
Now, how many of us would have just given up? I mean, it is bad enough to be a slave but to be accused of rape and then condemned to live out the rest of your life in prison? Surely, all those good seeds Joseph had been sowing were doing nothing. If he could have heard Job's wife he might have been tempted to "curse God and die".
Yet, Joseph was not in the business of giving up. The Bible tells us that even in the midst of all of this Joseph continued to stay true to his faith in God and his daily practice of spiritual disciplines. He was determined to do his best to discover a way to make prison life bearable. If this was to be his circumstance in life, then he would find a silver lining in all of it. He would still do all he could to sow good seeds around him.
The Bible tells us that even in prison the LORD blessed Joseph. It wasn't very long until he was in charge of all the other prisoners as the head trustee. God had not left him alone. While Joseph was going through all these trials and tribulations the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was working in the background, forming his character, providing him the education and knowledge he would one day need. God was using those seeds that Joseph was planting in his life and in the lives around him.
Genesis chapter 41 tells us that the right appointed time, God made the way possible for Joseph not only to be released from prison but to become the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Talk about a turn around. All those who once scourged him, mistreated him and thought him to be nothing more than a slave were now under his rule and authority. Their lives were now in his hands. Joseph could have arrested all of them and put them in the same prison that he had spent the majority of his twenties.
However, that is not the attitude of a person who has been sowing good seeds - seeds of prayer, seeds of good deeds and seeds of holiness. The Bible tells us that instead of seeking his revenge against Potiphar's wife, Potiphar, other prisoners or even his own brothers, Joseph sets about doing what he can to save the People of Egypt and the surrounding lands from a time of serve drought and famine. Joseph had more important things to do than to engage in a campaign of revenge. He had a nation and a whole continent to save.
Our parable this morning fits Joseph. He knew what it meant to sow good seeds. He did what he could to make his situation better. He never give up. He never decided to just throw his life away. He didn't become surly and say - "Who cares what I do or what I say" He purposely chose to live a certain way - the way of progressive holiness, the way of being optimistic and the way of being a disciple of God:
+ He stayed true to his faith
+He stayed true to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
+He stayed true to a daily practice of prayer, meditation and worship.
+He died whatever he could to stay positive and upbeat
+He did what he could to make sure that his mind, his heart and his soul lined up with a life of holiness.
Like the sower of seeds there are some things that you and I have control over in our lives.
+We have control over how we treat our bodies - we must be faithful to treating them as God's holy temples. We must take care of them and not abuse them in any way.
+We have control how we treat our minds - we must allow God's Holy Spirit to renew them or if we are not careful the world will have us continually filling our minds with junk.
+We have control of how we deal with our emotions. We must do our best to get them under control or our emotions will control us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge of our emotions.
+We have control over our souls. All of us has been given us a free will that we can either choose to allow the LORD to rescue, redeem and renew us or we can continually allow the world and carnality to dominate us. We must choose the way of the LORD. It is our choice whether we grow in Christ or we compromise with the world.
+We have control over our prayer lives. Basically, it is up to us if we want to spend quality time with the LORD. It is up to us if we want to have a vibrant and growing relationship with the LORD. It is up to us whether or not we have a vibrant and growing prayer life with the LORD.
+We can control our Bible time. It is our choice that we read, listen and spend time in God's Word. We can make sure that we know the Gospels, the writings of Paul and rest of the New Testament and God's Holy Word.
+We can control our relationships. It is up to us whether or not we open our hearts and lives to those around us and discover new friends and deepen present relationships.
+We can control our good deeds. We can control what we do for others, how we mentor others and how we pour out our lives into the lives of others. We can control our sharing of resources and talents.
The truth is you and I are able to control so many things in our lives. There are so many ways we can sow good seeds in and around our lives.
But it is also true that there are some things that we cannot control.
II. There are some things we have to live on God's Promise - "I the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY Am At Work"
Read again verses 27 - 28
"He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The Earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."
After the farmer does all he can do he has to wait and trust in God. He has to allow the mysteries of God to take place.
It is so easy to become impatient. That is one of the main reasons why so many people today no longer have a garden but shop at Kroger's, Wal-mart and other grocery stores. We don't want to take the time to till the soil, plant the seeds, water the crops, pull the weeds and then bring in the harvest. It is much easier just to go to the produce department and pick up a fresh tomato, a bunch of green beans and some new potatoes.
All of this has transformed us as a society and as a people. Believe it or not, there are some children today who ask their parents - "Why does the microwave oven take so long?" It seems we are have now gotten to the point where we are in too much of a hurry to even wait on the microwave.
The truth is if we are going to grow in the Christian faith it will take effort, patience and waiting. We must wait for God to do the mysterious work that only He can do. We must surrender our seeds to God once we have planted them. We have to do our part and then allow God to do His part.
The farmer in our story understood this. He knew that he had done his part (the sowing of the seeds) and now he had to be patient and surrender everything into God's hands. Only God could make the seed produce itself - "first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."
There is a divine mystery involved in this parable. Oh, sure, we could study all the science and do our best to understand photosynthesis, germination, pollination and all that stuff but the reality is, it is still all amazing and mysterious. We plant a seed and in a matter of days we begin to see this new life come forth that has all the potential to go from a seed to a dozen or more tomatoes, potatoes and beans.
And it all happens pretty much without our help. It's organic. It's natural. It's the way God designed creation. It's not manipulated or contrived. We do our part and God does His part. But His part means His timing, His purpose and His plan.
While the farmer went about his normal business the plan of God was steadily at work. He could have stopped what he was doing and attempted to watch the seeds germinate and spring forth their branches but he had other work to do. He had other chores to do and so he planted and left things in God's hands.
It doesn't mean that the farmer became lazy. No, he gets things ready for the harvest. He takes care of other things on the farm that need his attention. He makes sure that everything he does is in line with God.
He knows that the harvest remains under God's sovereign will. He knows that there are some things under his control and there are other things that are not under his control. He has to trust God. He has to believe that God has his best interests at heart. He has to surrender to God's will and way. He has to allow God to be in full control. That is not always easy thing for us to do - to let God be in control of our hearts, minds and souls.
What our ancestors had to learn in everyday life we have to relearn today. We live in a day of manipulation, of microwave living and instant gratification. We get impatient when the water goes out for an hour, the internet for 20 minutes or the electricity for a few hours. We get upset when we go to the store and what we want on the shelves has already been taken.
Sometimes I don't think that we understand that God's way is the way of patience and perfect timing and not always instantaneous growth. Children don't become responsible adults over night. They don't become responsible adults without some needed guidance and discipline. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Our spiritual lives will not become full of fruit without some effort on our part and some waiting for God to do his part.
Some people today mistakenly think that we can plow the field, plant the seed, reap the harvest, thresh the grain and bake the cake all in one day or week. They think that we can create community and unity over night. They may even believe that they can rebuild their lives over a weekend. They mistakenly think everything can be done in a matter of minutes. They may even believe that one can sow wild oats during the week and pray and expect a crop failure each and every Sunday morning.
The truth is what this Parable teaches. We have work to do. We have seeds that we need to throw out and plant. God has work to do. God works with us to bring about good things - great things. But it does take time, it takes patience and it takes allowing God to work everything out.
Even when we don't see God openly and actively at work we have to understand that God is still at work. It's like the seed. Once it is in the ground we don't see the whole germination process. We don't see how the seed breaks apart and a whole new little plant begins to form. We don't always see the mystery of how it then grows into a plant and then begins to have blooms that eventually turn into fruit.
At times we are not even aware of some of the seeds that we sow - seeds that are good and that in time bring forth great things.
A few weeks ago right off to the side of our front porch I noticed that there were some plants coming up. Plants that I knew that we had not planted. I let them grow some more and soon it became clear that they were tomato plants. Somehow some seeds had fallen right off the porch from last year and now there were all these little tomato plants sprouting up. More than likely we had dropped a ripened tomato or something like that. The seeds had laid there all winter and when spring came they began to sprout.
So, I just left them there for a while. I let some of them get large enough to replant in the garden and hopefully these little volunteer plants will bear some fruit. Perhaps they won't but I am going to give them the best opportunity they can have.
We do the same thing when we compliment one another or when we share a kind word with one another. We do the same thing when we help someone. We do the same thing when we spend time in prayer for someone. We do the same thing when we offer someone some needed resources. We do the same thing when we share the message of Jesus with people.
What we are doing is sowing seeds - emotional, physical, mental and spiritual seeds. We are sowing seeds of kindness, good deeds and the like and then we allow God to take those seeds and produce a harvest.
My own life has been changed not only by my choices but by the choices my mom made all her life. She sowed seeds of kindness into my life. She sowed seeds of intercessory prayer that over the years have help guide me and protect me. She sowed seeds of joy and celebration as she taught me to enjoy worship, God and other people.
My mom understood the long game. She didn't put all her chips on the table for some short period of gratification. She was interested in making sure that there would be fruit that could be harvested way past her life time. That is why she would go to the church and spend hours praying for people. That is why she would take the time to bake for people and do little things for them. That is why she would take the time to tell someone how much she appreciated them. That is why she worked with children sharing Bible stories with them.
She was sowing seeds that would under God's care bring forth a harvest years after she was gone.
We will all one day reap the seeds that we sown. The Bible tells us that in Galatians 6:7 - 9 (NRSV)
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So, let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up."
Those seeds do not have to be wild seeds or seeds that will bring back pain or suffering. Instead, they can be seeds that will bring forth joy, peace, kindness, patience and love. They can be seeds that bring wholeness and joy into the lives of others.
A dear friend of ours died the other day. It was a shock to everyone who knew him. He was working in his yard and had a massive heart attack. He was only 70 years of age.
He was not an intellectual. He was not a rich man. He was not a man of great power. At least not in the political sense. But in the human and spiritual sense - in the sense that counts the most he was an extremely rich man, a spiritual giant and a man of great power and influence.
When I first met him he was just the normal everyday Joe. He went to work, loved his family and did his best to get along with others. Over some time he started sowing seeds. He volunteered to teach a Sunday School Class at the nursing home. He started volunteering to help this person and that person with little odd jobs when he could. He started making sure people felt like they were loved, accepted and needed. He started doing what he could in the children's and teen department - cooking food, being a sponsor and at times doing what he could to teach and to lead them in different areas.
At the day of his funeral all kinds of people were lined up to file by his casket. People that were rich, poor, simple, powerful, old, young, in the church and out of the church. People stood for 20 - 35 minutes in line just to file past his casket and to share some love with his family.
How did all that happen? How did a simple man who was not even born in that town make such an impact? He didn't own a business nor a bank. He didn't drive a fancy car or hold a great political office. Instead, he just sowed seeds of kindness and love wherever he went. The senior citizens at the nursing home knew he loved them. The children and teens at the church and around the community knew that he loved them.
You would have thought at his wake that we were burying some great dignitary. We really were - he was a man of God - a man full of Holy Spirit - a man who knew how to sow seeds all around him - seeds that had already brought a harvest and will be bringing a harvest for years and years to come.
This parable this morning I believe is there in Mark to challenge us:
+To challenge us to sow seeds of kindness and love all around us
+To sow seeds of intercessory prayer for people, for their families and children
+To sow seeds of good deeds as we go around to places of business, eating establishments and the like.
+To sow seeds in our own lives that will enable us to live an abundant life
It doesn't take much to go back and tell the people who cooked your food at the restaurant or even at a fast food place that they did a good job. It doesn't take much to go to the people who are cleaning the floors at the mall or in the store and tell them how much you appreciate them.
Sometimes the most important person in a business is not the one who holds the keys or rings the bell - but the janitor who makes sure that there are paper towels, cleaning soap and toilet paper.
This morning, I believe that the LORD wants us to go into the seed sowing business:
+to sow seeds in the lives of children and young people by telling them you care for them, love them, you take time for them, pray for them and share Jesus with them.
+to sow seeds of investment in the lives of people by sharing what God has given you to others who are in need.
+to sow seeds of encouragement, support and love with others
+to show seeds of goodness, grace, forgiveness, mercy and love
And the really cool thing - you are never too young or too old to sow seeds:
+Remember the story of the little boy who gave his lunch so that others might eat? That little boy helped Jesus feed thousands of people that day.
+Remember the story of Ruth who unselfishly went out every day in the hot sun to pick up handfuls of grain and then ground them into bread just so that her mother-in-law Naomi could have a bite to eat?
+Remember the story of Barzilla the Gileadite who rescued David and his family when they were thrown out of Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom. At that time Barzeilla was over 80 years of age but still made sure that David and his loyal family and friends had food and safety while his son Absalom was doing his best to hunt him down and kill him so that he could take over the throne.
The Bible and history are full of stories of children, teens, young people and mature people doing their best to sow seeds of kindness, generosity, love and grace. Seeds that God will use to grow His Kingdom here on earth.
This morning as we close let's ask the LORD to help us to sow some seeds this week. Seeds that will in time bring forth a great harvest in our lives, in the life of our families, and in the life of God's Kingdom. None of that will happen unless we sow some seeds.
As we close - we do so in prayer today. We come before the LORD in praying for forgiveness, salvation, renewal, strength and encouragement. We come before the LORD asking Him to help us sow seeds so that our world might be transformed through His Holy Spirit. We come before the LORD in surrender asking the Holy Spirit to led us.
Prayer Time - Background Music
Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season.
We are being asked to take this gamble in our lives. It’s called faith, also known as actually trusting God. It is Jesus saying that if we will live according to his way, the Kingdom of God will happen. We are not the whole story of the kingdom, of course; God is deeply involved. The crop will grow quite mysteriously, through all kinds of drought and catastrophe, but we are being given a part to play.
What was the context of Jesus’ words?
Jesus was speaking in a culture that knew its insecurity. Failed harvest and famine were common. Only a few very rich had the resources to insulate them from these things, and the ability to buy their way through to a kind of guaranteed safety.
This is our context: We live in a world that does not know its insecurity, a world of false security. We are in a small bubble of history, where in Australia and the USA, a couple of generations of people have had unprecedented wealth and safety—much of it at the expense of others.
That isn’t to say that I haven’t been occupied and obsessed with trying to strategise and organise, manipulate and manage the direction and flow of where my life was going. Somehow though, the really good things that have come my way have been more organic and opportunistic than my plans would have plotted.
Knowing this makes me really appreciate the teaching of Jesus for this Sunday. The kingdom of God happens. It is organic. Alhough we can co-operate with the processes of God we should never think we can control them.
SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:26 - 29
"He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in which his sickle, because the harvest is come.'"
INTRO:
Mr. Andrew Prior in his blog, "One Man's Web" shared this wonderful little insight as we begin to look at our passage in the Gospel of Mark this morning -
"Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season."
Anyone who has ever attempted to grow a garden or even a few plants understands the wisdom of that statement -
"Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season."
Most of chapter four is taken up with one parable after another dealing with either seeds, soil or plants. Each one of them is easy to read and Jesus takes some time to share with us some lessons that we are to glean from them - in particular, the Parable of the Four Soils. But when we come to our passage - verses 26 - 29, we don't quite have that luxury even though the more you read these verses and the more you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you the more you begin to understand the true nature of this particular Parable.
It is of course a parable about Organic growth; in particular, organic spiritual growth.
Mark wants us to understand that our spiritual growth as both individuals and as a community is more of a divine mystery than a human manipulation. This parable speaks of a walk with Jesus that leans more on the side of patience, spiritual discipline and surrender than it does on strategy, programs and agendas. That does not mean to say that we are to believe that things merely happen on their own, but, it does teach us that most of the good things that happen to us are organic in nature. This parable teaches us that it is our responsibility to work with the moving of God's Holy Spirit and not convince ourselves that we can somehow either control/manipulate God or His Kingdom.
Jesus lived in a world that was very familiar with insecurity and instability. It was not uncommon for a harvest to fail because of poor weather conditions or soil conditions. And when the harvest was plentiful more often than not the Romans would come in and take the majority of the harvest for themselves; telling the farmers that the Empire needed the grain for the military or for the elite that lived in Rome. The common folk that lived in that time simply understood that there were a number of things could happen that would overtake them and leave them homeless, penniless and reduced to a life of begging.
In some ways that is also our context as well. Oh, we may not have to worry so much about drought or the government coming in and taking our food but we do live in a time filled with anxiety, insecurity and turmoil. We live in a world of false security. Even in our country while we promote our tremendous power and might we all know that a well placed EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) bomb, the right group knowing how to bring down our power grid or hack into our most secure servers can bring our nation to its knees in a matter of minutes, hours and days.
And if you are like me, I try not to let those things concern me. There are simply some things that you and I can do nothing about and then there are things that we do have a measure of control. There are some things that our actions can make a big difference. That is a great deal what Jesus' parable in verses 26 - 29 wants to teach us.
I. We are to understand that there are some things that we can control
That is the whole meaning behind verse 26 -
"The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seeds on the ground"
There are some things that we can control around us. There are some emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually things in our lives that we are able to have a certain measure of control over and can influence through our direct actions. There are some things that we can do to make sure that we live the best life on this earth as possible.
None of us are left to mere fate. Neither are we mere pawns in some divine game played out by some capricious (fickle) divine power. We all have free will and our choices can determine a great deal what happens to us in this life.
It is true that in some degree we may have to live with some things that we inherit. That however, does not mean that our lives have been predestined like cookies are when they are put through a cookie cutter. We don't have to allow either our past circumstances or our present circumstances dictate our future. We can optimize a great measure of free will that has been given to us by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
In fact, human history is full of people who rose out of their dire circumstances. We all know the stories of people like Abraham Lincoln who started from very poor and dismal circumstances. Lincoln did not allow his lack of money, pedigree or even education get the best of him. Instead he did all he could with all he had and ended up being our 16th President. In many people's eyes he was one of our greatest Presidents.
In the book of Genesis (chapters 37 - 50), for example, we find the story of a young man around 17 years of age named Joseph. While Joseph's life started off well, he had the misfortune to be betrayed by his brothers, who out of jealousy and malice sold him into slavery. Genesis chapter 37 tells us how in a matter of minutes Joseph went from being the favored son of his father, Jacob to becoming a Midianite slave on his way to the slave market in Egypt.
As soon as they arrived in Egypt, the Midianites sold Joseph to a man named Potiphar. More than likely they knew that Joseph was not a real slave when they purchased him from his brothers. And so, they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. Tradition tells us that this Potiphar was in charge of keeping the peace around Egypt; he served as captain of the guard.
How would we have handled that situation? Can you imagine being sold by your family? Finding yourself hundreds of miles away from home with no hope of ever coming back? Literally going from being the favorite son of your father to being a slave in a land in which you did not know the customs, the language or the culture?
I think it would have been very easy for Joseph to have simply become depressed and convinced that the whole world was against him. It would have been easy for him to have become a problem slave doing all he could to disrupt Potiphar's household. But that is not what this young 17man did. Joseph didn't give up. He didn't quit.
Instead, the Bible tells us that Joseph decided to make the best of a horrible situation. Joseph decided that even as a slave he could sow some good seeds all around him. The Bible tells us that he excelled in his work and that in no time he was Potiphar's right hand man, running Potiphar's whole household. Joseph chose to live a life of progressive holiness. He chose to live a life in which he could positively affect the lives of all those around him. He was determined not to allow his circumstances to get the best of him. He was in effect sowing the best seeds around him to still have a wonderful life.
There was one fly in the ointment however. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a handsome young man. Somewhere in his early twenties, he caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. She was not a nice woman. She wanted Joseph to be more than an overseer of her husband's household. The Bible tells us that she lusted after Joseph. She wanted Joseph to become her secret lover. But Joseph would have nothing of the kind. He determined to stay true to his faith in God, his life of holiness and his loyalty to his master, Potiphar. He didn't want anything to do with Mrs. Potiphar. Listen to how he responds to her when she tries to seduce him:
"Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:6b - 10)
Nevertheless, one day, Potiphar's wife lured Joseph into a situation that he could not avoid. Resisting her charms once again, he turned and ran away from her as quickly as possible. You see, Joseph's heart, mind and soul were made up. He was not going to do something against God's commandments. He was going to stay true to his faith and convictions. He was going to stay true to sowing good seeds in his life.
Scorned and rejected, Potiphar's wife quickly turned the tables on Joseph and accused him of attempted rape. If she could not have Joseph then she would destroy him or at least she thought she would destroy him. She ended up causing such a scene and an outrage that Potiphar had no recourse but to condemn Joseph to spend the rest of his life in an Egyptian prison.
Now, how many of us would have just given up? I mean, it is bad enough to be a slave but to be accused of rape and then condemned to live out the rest of your life in prison? Surely, all those good seeds Joseph had been sowing were doing nothing. If he could have heard Job's wife he might have been tempted to "curse God and die".
Yet, Joseph was not in the business of giving up. The Bible tells us that even in the midst of all of this Joseph continued to stay true to his faith in God and his daily practice of spiritual disciplines. He was determined to do his best to discover a way to make prison life bearable. If this was to be his circumstance in life, then he would find a silver lining in all of it. He would still do all he could to sow good seeds around him.
The Bible tells us that even in prison the LORD blessed Joseph. It wasn't very long until he was in charge of all the other prisoners as the head trustee. God had not left him alone. While Joseph was going through all these trials and tribulations the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was working in the background, forming his character, providing him the education and knowledge he would one day need. God was using those seeds that Joseph was planting in his life and in the lives around him.
Genesis chapter 41 tells us that the right appointed time, God made the way possible for Joseph not only to be released from prison but to become the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Talk about a turn around. All those who once scourged him, mistreated him and thought him to be nothing more than a slave were now under his rule and authority. Their lives were now in his hands. Joseph could have arrested all of them and put them in the same prison that he had spent the majority of his twenties.
However, that is not the attitude of a person who has been sowing good seeds - seeds of prayer, seeds of good deeds and seeds of holiness. The Bible tells us that instead of seeking his revenge against Potiphar's wife, Potiphar, other prisoners or even his own brothers, Joseph sets about doing what he can to save the People of Egypt and the surrounding lands from a time of serve drought and famine. Joseph had more important things to do than to engage in a campaign of revenge. He had a nation and a whole continent to save.
Our parable this morning fits Joseph. He knew what it meant to sow good seeds. He did what he could to make his situation better. He never give up. He never decided to just throw his life away. He didn't become surly and say - "Who cares what I do or what I say" He purposely chose to live a certain way - the way of progressive holiness, the way of being optimistic and the way of being a disciple of God:
+ He stayed true to his faith
+He stayed true to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
+He stayed true to a daily practice of prayer, meditation and worship.
+He died whatever he could to stay positive and upbeat
+He did what he could to make sure that his mind, his heart and his soul lined up with a life of holiness.
Like the sower of seeds there are some things that you and I have control over in our lives.
+We have control over how we treat our bodies - we must be faithful to treating them as God's holy temples. We must take care of them and not abuse them in any way.
+We have control how we treat our minds - we must allow God's Holy Spirit to renew them or if we are not careful the world will have us continually filling our minds with junk.
+We have control of how we deal with our emotions. We must do our best to get them under control or our emotions will control us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge of our emotions.
+We have control over our souls. All of us has been given us a free will that we can either choose to allow the LORD to rescue, redeem and renew us or we can continually allow the world and carnality to dominate us. We must choose the way of the LORD. It is our choice whether we grow in Christ or we compromise with the world.
+We have control over our prayer lives. Basically, it is up to us if we want to spend quality time with the LORD. It is up to us if we want to have a vibrant and growing relationship with the LORD. It is up to us whether or not we have a vibrant and growing prayer life with the LORD.
+We can control our Bible time. It is our choice that we read, listen and spend time in God's Word. We can make sure that we know the Gospels, the writings of Paul and rest of the New Testament and God's Holy Word.
+We can control our relationships. It is up to us whether or not we open our hearts and lives to those around us and discover new friends and deepen present relationships.
+We can control our good deeds. We can control what we do for others, how we mentor others and how we pour out our lives into the lives of others. We can control our sharing of resources and talents.
The truth is you and I are able to control so many things in our lives. There are so many ways we can sow good seeds in and around our lives.
But it is also true that there are some things that we cannot control.
II. There are some things we have to live on God's Promise - "I the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY Am At Work"
Read again verses 27 - 28
"He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The Earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."
After the farmer does all he can do he has to wait and trust in God. He has to allow the mysteries of God to take place.
It is so easy to become impatient. That is one of the main reasons why so many people today no longer have a garden but shop at Kroger's, Wal-mart and other grocery stores. We don't want to take the time to till the soil, plant the seeds, water the crops, pull the weeds and then bring in the harvest. It is much easier just to go to the produce department and pick up a fresh tomato, a bunch of green beans and some new potatoes.
All of this has transformed us as a society and as a people. Believe it or not, there are some children today who ask their parents - "Why does the microwave oven take so long?" It seems we are have now gotten to the point where we are in too much of a hurry to even wait on the microwave.
The truth is if we are going to grow in the Christian faith it will take effort, patience and waiting. We must wait for God to do the mysterious work that only He can do. We must surrender our seeds to God once we have planted them. We have to do our part and then allow God to do His part.
The farmer in our story understood this. He knew that he had done his part (the sowing of the seeds) and now he had to be patient and surrender everything into God's hands. Only God could make the seed produce itself - "first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."
There is a divine mystery involved in this parable. Oh, sure, we could study all the science and do our best to understand photosynthesis, germination, pollination and all that stuff but the reality is, it is still all amazing and mysterious. We plant a seed and in a matter of days we begin to see this new life come forth that has all the potential to go from a seed to a dozen or more tomatoes, potatoes and beans.
And it all happens pretty much without our help. It's organic. It's natural. It's the way God designed creation. It's not manipulated or contrived. We do our part and God does His part. But His part means His timing, His purpose and His plan.
While the farmer went about his normal business the plan of God was steadily at work. He could have stopped what he was doing and attempted to watch the seeds germinate and spring forth their branches but he had other work to do. He had other chores to do and so he planted and left things in God's hands.
It doesn't mean that the farmer became lazy. No, he gets things ready for the harvest. He takes care of other things on the farm that need his attention. He makes sure that everything he does is in line with God.
He knows that the harvest remains under God's sovereign will. He knows that there are some things under his control and there are other things that are not under his control. He has to trust God. He has to believe that God has his best interests at heart. He has to surrender to God's will and way. He has to allow God to be in full control. That is not always easy thing for us to do - to let God be in control of our hearts, minds and souls.
What our ancestors had to learn in everyday life we have to relearn today. We live in a day of manipulation, of microwave living and instant gratification. We get impatient when the water goes out for an hour, the internet for 20 minutes or the electricity for a few hours. We get upset when we go to the store and what we want on the shelves has already been taken.
Sometimes I don't think that we understand that God's way is the way of patience and perfect timing and not always instantaneous growth. Children don't become responsible adults over night. They don't become responsible adults without some needed guidance and discipline. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Our spiritual lives will not become full of fruit without some effort on our part and some waiting for God to do his part.
Some people today mistakenly think that we can plow the field, plant the seed, reap the harvest, thresh the grain and bake the cake all in one day or week. They think that we can create community and unity over night. They may even believe that they can rebuild their lives over a weekend. They mistakenly think everything can be done in a matter of minutes. They may even believe that one can sow wild oats during the week and pray and expect a crop failure each and every Sunday morning.
The truth is what this Parable teaches. We have work to do. We have seeds that we need to throw out and plant. God has work to do. God works with us to bring about good things - great things. But it does take time, it takes patience and it takes allowing God to work everything out.
Even when we don't see God openly and actively at work we have to understand that God is still at work. It's like the seed. Once it is in the ground we don't see the whole germination process. We don't see how the seed breaks apart and a whole new little plant begins to form. We don't always see the mystery of how it then grows into a plant and then begins to have blooms that eventually turn into fruit.
At times we are not even aware of some of the seeds that we sow - seeds that are good and that in time bring forth great things.
A few weeks ago right off to the side of our front porch I noticed that there were some plants coming up. Plants that I knew that we had not planted. I let them grow some more and soon it became clear that they were tomato plants. Somehow some seeds had fallen right off the porch from last year and now there were all these little tomato plants sprouting up. More than likely we had dropped a ripened tomato or something like that. The seeds had laid there all winter and when spring came they began to sprout.
So, I just left them there for a while. I let some of them get large enough to replant in the garden and hopefully these little volunteer plants will bear some fruit. Perhaps they won't but I am going to give them the best opportunity they can have.
We do the same thing when we compliment one another or when we share a kind word with one another. We do the same thing when we help someone. We do the same thing when we spend time in prayer for someone. We do the same thing when we offer someone some needed resources. We do the same thing when we share the message of Jesus with people.
What we are doing is sowing seeds - emotional, physical, mental and spiritual seeds. We are sowing seeds of kindness, good deeds and the like and then we allow God to take those seeds and produce a harvest.
My own life has been changed not only by my choices but by the choices my mom made all her life. She sowed seeds of kindness into my life. She sowed seeds of intercessory prayer that over the years have help guide me and protect me. She sowed seeds of joy and celebration as she taught me to enjoy worship, God and other people.
My mom understood the long game. She didn't put all her chips on the table for some short period of gratification. She was interested in making sure that there would be fruit that could be harvested way past her life time. That is why she would go to the church and spend hours praying for people. That is why she would take the time to bake for people and do little things for them. That is why she would take the time to tell someone how much she appreciated them. That is why she worked with children sharing Bible stories with them.
She was sowing seeds that would under God's care bring forth a harvest years after she was gone.
We will all one day reap the seeds that we sown. The Bible tells us that in Galatians 6:7 - 9 (NRSV)
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So, let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up."
Those seeds do not have to be wild seeds or seeds that will bring back pain or suffering. Instead, they can be seeds that will bring forth joy, peace, kindness, patience and love. They can be seeds that bring wholeness and joy into the lives of others.
A dear friend of ours died the other day. It was a shock to everyone who knew him. He was working in his yard and had a massive heart attack. He was only 70 years of age.
He was not an intellectual. He was not a rich man. He was not a man of great power. At least not in the political sense. But in the human and spiritual sense - in the sense that counts the most he was an extremely rich man, a spiritual giant and a man of great power and influence.
When I first met him he was just the normal everyday Joe. He went to work, loved his family and did his best to get along with others. Over some time he started sowing seeds. He volunteered to teach a Sunday School Class at the nursing home. He started volunteering to help this person and that person with little odd jobs when he could. He started making sure people felt like they were loved, accepted and needed. He started doing what he could in the children's and teen department - cooking food, being a sponsor and at times doing what he could to teach and to lead them in different areas.
At the day of his funeral all kinds of people were lined up to file by his casket. People that were rich, poor, simple, powerful, old, young, in the church and out of the church. People stood for 20 - 35 minutes in line just to file past his casket and to share some love with his family.
How did all that happen? How did a simple man who was not even born in that town make such an impact? He didn't own a business nor a bank. He didn't drive a fancy car or hold a great political office. Instead, he just sowed seeds of kindness and love wherever he went. The senior citizens at the nursing home knew he loved them. The children and teens at the church and around the community knew that he loved them.
You would have thought at his wake that we were burying some great dignitary. We really were - he was a man of God - a man full of Holy Spirit - a man who knew how to sow seeds all around him - seeds that had already brought a harvest and will be bringing a harvest for years and years to come.
This parable this morning I believe is there in Mark to challenge us:
+To challenge us to sow seeds of kindness and love all around us
+To sow seeds of intercessory prayer for people, for their families and children
+To sow seeds of good deeds as we go around to places of business, eating establishments and the like.
+To sow seeds in our own lives that will enable us to live an abundant life
It doesn't take much to go back and tell the people who cooked your food at the restaurant or even at a fast food place that they did a good job. It doesn't take much to go to the people who are cleaning the floors at the mall or in the store and tell them how much you appreciate them.
Sometimes the most important person in a business is not the one who holds the keys or rings the bell - but the janitor who makes sure that there are paper towels, cleaning soap and toilet paper.
This morning, I believe that the LORD wants us to go into the seed sowing business:
+to sow seeds in the lives of children and young people by telling them you care for them, love them, you take time for them, pray for them and share Jesus with them.
+to sow seeds of investment in the lives of people by sharing what God has given you to others who are in need.
+to sow seeds of encouragement, support and love with others
+to show seeds of goodness, grace, forgiveness, mercy and love
And the really cool thing - you are never too young or too old to sow seeds:
+Remember the story of the little boy who gave his lunch so that others might eat? That little boy helped Jesus feed thousands of people that day.
+Remember the story of Ruth who unselfishly went out every day in the hot sun to pick up handfuls of grain and then ground them into bread just so that her mother-in-law Naomi could have a bite to eat?
+Remember the story of Barzilla the Gileadite who rescued David and his family when they were thrown out of Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom. At that time Barzeilla was over 80 years of age but still made sure that David and his loyal family and friends had food and safety while his son Absalom was doing his best to hunt him down and kill him so that he could take over the throne.
The Bible and history are full of stories of children, teens, young people and mature people doing their best to sow seeds of kindness, generosity, love and grace. Seeds that God will use to grow His Kingdom here on earth.
This morning as we close let's ask the LORD to help us to sow some seeds this week. Seeds that will in time bring forth a great harvest in our lives, in the life of our families, and in the life of God's Kingdom. None of that will happen unless we sow some seeds.
As we close - we do so in prayer today. We come before the LORD in praying for forgiveness, salvation, renewal, strength and encouragement. We come before the LORD asking Him to help us sow seeds so that our world might be transformed through His Holy Spirit. We come before the LORD in surrender asking the Holy Spirit to led us.
Prayer Time - Background Music
Farming is the great liturgy of faith which country folk enact each season.
We are being asked to take this gamble in our lives. It’s called faith, also known as actually trusting God. It is Jesus saying that if we will live according to his way, the Kingdom of God will happen. We are not the whole story of the kingdom, of course; God is deeply involved. The crop will grow quite mysteriously, through all kinds of drought and catastrophe, but we are being given a part to play.
What was the context of Jesus’ words?
Jesus was speaking in a culture that knew its insecurity. Failed harvest and famine were common. Only a few very rich had the resources to insulate them from these things, and the ability to buy their way through to a kind of guaranteed safety.
This is our context: We live in a world that does not know its insecurity, a world of false security. We are in a small bubble of history, where in Australia and the USA, a couple of generations of people have had unprecedented wealth and safety—much of it at the expense of others.
That isn’t to say that I haven’t been occupied and obsessed with trying to strategise and organise, manipulate and manage the direction and flow of where my life was going. Somehow though, the really good things that have come my way have been more organic and opportunistic than my plans would have plotted.
Knowing this makes me really appreciate the teaching of Jesus for this Sunday. The kingdom of God happens. It is organic. Alhough we can co-operate with the processes of God we should never think we can control them.
