Invisible Incredible
PPT 1 Message Title Incredible Growth, Invisible Increase
Jesus used several illustrations about seeds to teach important truths on how his kingdom works. Today we will look at a parable that teaches His Kingdom has Incredible Growth and Invisible Increase.
I believe this message will really encourage some today, so let's get into it...
PPT 2-3 text
Mark 4:26 And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
Mark 4:27 and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows how, he himself does not know.
Mark 4:28 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
Mark 4:29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
This parable is in the middle of two others, and in all 3 Jesus uses seeds to illustrate principles on how His kingdom works. This chapter reminds me of Luke 15, another 3 parable chapter. In that chapter He speaks of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. 3 lost things.
In Mark 4 He tells 3 parables
PPT 4
A. the parable of the sower and the seed
B. the parable of the growth of the seed,
C. the parable of the mustard seed.
I am going to be discussing the 2nd parable today, but let me set it in context of the other two.
The lesson of the sower and the seed is that it is not about the seed, but the soil in which the seed is planted.
Jesus explains to His disciples that they have been given this good seed, and when spread around, it will find a variety of soil conditions to fall upon.
Some soil will produce no life. Immediately aborted
Some soil will produce brief life. Heat causes it to fail.
Some soil will produce weak life. Getting caught up in this life cause it to fail
Some soil will produce huge harvests! 30, 60, 100 fold.
That parable was told by Jesus to make them think about the kind of soil they are.
This parable is also found in Luke chapter 8. Luke includes something interesting about this teaching session:
PPT 5 text
Luke 8:8 "Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (NASB)
In other words He kept saying, "listen listen listen! Think about the soil you are!"
Another reason I think Jesus told this parable, was to teach the disciples the reality of what they would be facing as they sowed the seed of the word of God.
3 out of 4 crops will fail, that is a sobering reality. That is the same as 750 times out of a thousand. Think of how many times the seed will seemingly fail. You are going to whiff far more times than you hit a home run.
Realizing how this may have been settling into His hearers spirits, and right after explaining the meaning of the parable Jesus adds this thought that is also found in the sermon on the mount:
PPT 6 text and pic
Mark 4:21 And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
Other versions - "He said." But the word saying is in the imperfect tense = generally represents continual or repeated action in the past. 3 out of 4 seeds will fail, but don't give up because of that, you are the light of the world, sow sow sow. No matter the results!
Some people count v.21 as a separate parable, but I think it is just more commentary on the parable of the sower and the seed.
There are multiple layers of meaning in what He is saying, but I want you to catch this one: Don't be discouraged by lack of results or seeds that fail. Sow, sow, sow. Sow anyway. Keep your witness visible. Let your light shine, even though many seeds fail.
Perhaps He told this parable because some people are very organized and very directed in what they do, and they might think along these lines:
How do I make sure that every soil is like the good soil? How can I limit my sowing so that it is in good soil only? Jesus didn't want us thinking or doing like that. For two reasons He wants everyone to have a chance, and because we can never really now what kind of soil a person is or when a seed might take root.
PPT 7 Judean date palm
For thousands of years, the date palm was a staple crop. In the Kingdom of Judea it was a source of food, shelter, medicine, and shade. Romans invading see its value to the nation and economy and set about destroying them all. Ancient warfare included attempts to foul the land. Destroyed with rocks, destroyed with salt. By 500 AD it the date palm was extinct.
1963 Jewish archaeologist Yigael Yadin was exploring an ancient historical site in Israel and found a buried clay jar with almost 2000 year old seeds. They wanted to see what would happen if they planted some, and the tree you see is the result of that planting. It is called the Methuselah tree. Here is another amazing fact those seeds were found buried on the mountain top fortress known as Masada. All the Jews there died by suicide, but seeds they left behind are still producing fruit for their nation. The seeds of the tree the Romans did their best to destroy were preserved in the place of one of the most horrible atrocities of their warfare against the Jewish nation.
Who would have thought the site of a horrible tragedy would be the best soil to resurrect an important staple in ancient Jewish life? It is not for us to decide to only to sow in the best soil, sow sow sow! Let your light shine in places you think it will be of benefit and in places you have little or no expectation that good would come.
The third parable, is the parable of the mustard seed and it was a message to His disciples not to be discouraged by slow growth, not to despise the day of small beginnings. The church may start out small but it will become incredibly large compared to its inception.
Getting back to the second parable, the parable of the growth of the seed, this is the one I want to focus on now.
I want to bring out two simple truths from it.
The seed grows incredibly, and the seed grows secretly.
1. Seeds grow incredibly
Let's talk about the seed growing incredibly. Jesus has already told us that the growth and increase of the harvest is 30, 60, or hundredfold. Most of what God is doing and has done in our lives takes place secretly out of our sight or knowledge, we will get to that in a minute. For now I want to focus on the incredible growth and multiplication of God's seeds. I am here to encourage you today, that you have way more fruit than you could possibly imagine and to stir you to sow more.
I want to use a couple of examples from nature to illustrate incredible growth and multiplication, the first is the watermelon.
PPT 9 pic and text.
It takes about 8,000 watermelon seeds to add up to a pound of weight, the average watermelon weighs about 20 pounds, and that means the seed at maturity will have increased by 160,000 times!
Here is another one:
Illustrate with a kernel and an ear of corn.
An ear of corn has between 500-1,200 kernels (seeds) they average about 800, you generally get two ears per stalk, so that means one seed of corn multiplies 1,600 times more!
Interesting fact. Corn will always have an even number of rows, usually 16.
1 seed produces 1,600 more! Seeds! When you touch one life they are a seed to touch many more. Some of you touched someone's life long ago, it has completely slipped your mind, but that fruit is continuing to multiply in ways you will never know until you get to heaven.
Your fruit pyramid will produce long after you have left earth. 30, 60, or 100. Not meant to convey an exact figure, but incredible growth and reproduction.
Illus: pyramidal growth. Hannah the woman crying for a child is still producing incredible growth. She lived 3000 years ago but people read her story in 1st Samuel and they are encouraged. The barren are encouraged they can have children, the persecuted are encouraged God will make it right in the end, the weeping are encouraged that God will bring them to laughter. Your story may not be in the bible, but like hers it is producing fruit in the lives of others. Compounded interest whether you are asleep or awake, 24/7 365 days a year.
2. Seeds grow incredibly, but that is not all they also grow secretly. Invisible Increase.
All seeds to grow have to be planted in the ground. There is a difference between a burial and a planting. Some of you have become discouraged because you are not seeing results, be reminded today that all seeds have a stage where they are planted in the ground.
Out of sight
Covered by dirt
We do not see what is going on with them - nor should we worry about them. The first parable was about the soil, this second one is about the life producing power God has placed in seeds.
PPT 10
Mark 4:27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. (NIV)
Don't underestimate the power of seeds you sow into the lives of others. Growth is secretly going on night and day. That may not be how it works in the world, but that is what Jesus said it works like in His kingdom. Today be encouraged there is far more fruit from your life than you could ever imagine.
The God who keeps track of every idle word, is also the God who tracks every seed you have planted, and can trace and reward you for every blessing they have produced.
Let me illustrate this truth of secret fruit from my life.
I have been posting sermons on Sermoncentral for more than 20 years. As of now Sermoncentral has recorded 2,580,620 total views, pastors, teachers, students of the word. I have found them repeated word for word on the internet. One pastor took one of my sermons and posted it on another sermon sharing site as his own message. If they hadn't kept these digital records I would never now of how these sermon seeds are reproducing. And what I know is only the barest of glimpses, have these messages gotten others saved, help, encouraged, convicted. Sermoncentral can't keep track of all that but God can and does.
In the last week, this is what has happened and it would have been secretly, but sermon central keeps records as far as they can.
PPT 11 pic last weeks results sermons viewed more than 1000 times and in 56 different countries.
Here are some of the countries where they have been read:
Norway, Zambia, Libera, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone,
Botswana, Cameroon, Malaysia, Bahrain, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mauritius, Papau New Guinea, Russia, Swaziland, Singapore.
I know those messages were read, but I don't know what fruit they have produced. 24 hours a day, whether I wake or sleep they are growing. Some of these places I don't know where they are on the map, and in many of them they don't speak English.
You may be thinking: 'That's great for you pastor, but I don't have any sermons on the internet. I haven't done much." You are producing 30, 60, 100 fold, far more secret growth than you could ever imagine. Someone you helped or touched 20 years ago, that seed is still multiplying and producing fruit, in ways you will only understand at the final harvest. Plus many of these sermon I prepared and preached to you. You provided the laptop I prepare them on the salary that enable me to provide a living for my family. You are a partaker in all I do, in every Missionary you support, in every cause you give to.
Then there is this
PPT 12-13 text
1 Samuel 30:21 When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them.
1 Samuel 30:22 Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart."
1 Samuel 30:23 Then David said, "You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.
1 Samuel 30:24 "And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike."
1 Samuel 30:25 So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
It is an ordinance in Israel that those who provide logistical help will be rewarded the same as those who fight in battle. Those who stay home and take care of the little ones are rewarded the same as those who engage in ministry.
Every missionary you helped financially you will share their seed growth. Every blessing that comes out of my ministry as pastor you will share in the reward.
I went on mission trips, my wife stayed home with the stuff. We share, and more than that 2 become one - we share.
Close: Sow Sow Sow. Sow in good soil, sow in tough soil, God is keeping track. Be encouraged today there will be much fruit coming out of your life.
Prayer: I have been discouraged in spiritual sowing I want to commit to sowing more than ever before.
