The Parable Of The Sower Series

The Parable of the Sower

Growing and Sowing Seeds

Mark chapter 4:1-4:9

Introduction-

Please turn to Mark 4:1-9.

It is the Parable of the Sower. This will be a two part sermon. We will start it today and look at the Word of God and finish with how the Word of God reacts to the different soils of our lives next week.

It is the personal teaching of Jesus concerning the growing of the church and the growing of ourselves spiritually and mentally.

It is Jesus going from the synagogue to hands on teaching of the people where they are at.

It is the applicable way of spreading the gospel.

It is the proof that Jesus is not afraid of trying new ways to minister to the people the principals that God the father laid down in His Word.

John Wesley was a man that believed that the Word of God should come from the pulpit of the church and George Whitefield his collogue believed that going to the people was to make a difference.

One came from the pulpit (synagogue) and one from hands on (open air).

Wesley struggled with that until he saw the results.

He witnessed that both ways ministered to people and that people lives were being changed.

Wesley admitted ”That I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.”

But Wesley saw that field preaching won souls and said. “I cannot argue against a matter of fact.”

Parable

Is a way for Jesus to express a thought in a manner that the listener would be familiar with. A parable is a story that relates to an expression of comparison. Jesus used something that they could relate too to bring his point across to them.

Mark 4:1-4:9 Read clearly and slowly

Parable is a story and not to be confused with an allegory like Pilgrims Progress where every name and every circumstance meant something. Jesus is telling a story that expresses his thought on sowing seeds.

Parable is best understood by reading it in its entirety, then looking for observations that you have found. So after reading, here are some observations.

There is a farmer

This farmer is throwing seed on his field.

By observation, we know that the farmer expected a harvest.

The farmer has three different soils that he finds his seed falling into.

He distinguishes the different soils and different results.

Later in the chapter we see Jesus himself gave his interpretation of the parable.

Jesus told them to listen to the parable, and then if they were listening, they had to respond appropriately.

The farmer’s goal was to get his good seed into good soil so it would grow because the seed has life in it. The seed is small but powerful and will produce fruit if the conditions are right. But it must be planted in good soil in order to achieve its intended purpose.

Do you ever wonder how someone you love can hear a clear gospel presentation and yet not respond by receiving Christ? Are you bothered when you see someone seemingly make a decision for Christ and get all excited about it only to end up drifting away when disappointment comes? Does it trouble you when others get all wrapped up in the worries or wealth of the world and bottom out spiritually? What’s up with all that? The bottom line in these situations is that conversion never occurred, though it seemed like it did. The problem was with the soil, or the soul…not with the seed or the sower.

Understand this as we look at this passage.

The seed is the Word of God

The soils are the different hearts that the Word of God is sown into.

The idea is to get the Word of God (perfect) into the right soil so that it will grow and see a harvest.

As far as a believer is concerned. Once the seed (Word) is sown in our heart, we become the farmers planted the Word of God in people lives and desire to see it planted in good soil and see lives changed by God’s Word.

The farmer plants the seed and we water and nurture but God gives the increase. We cannot do more than plant and nurture . God is the one responsible to germinate and increase the harvest. He is the one that prepares the soil where the seed will be planted. It is why you think some are ready and it does not germinate and then others where you think there is no chance and we see a great harvest in their lives.

Hebrews 4:12 slowly

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”