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READ: Mark 4:1
CHALLENGE: Relate to God’s Amazing Truth
Jesus is out on a lake. This is the Sea of Galilee and He taught sitting down on the boat while the people were on the water’s edge listening. The slope of the land created a natural ampitheater. There was a large crowd as Jesus is popular. They are finding helps for their hurts and they flock to the light. I’d like to discuss the truth as Jesus lays it out in story form.
- BIBLICAL TRUTH IS SO RELATABLE
Mark 4:1-2 – 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. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
He taught them by using parables. This is among the first parables talked about in Mark. What is a parable? A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. The word “parable” comes from the Greek word “parabolē,” which means “comparison” or “illustration.” Parables typically employ everyday situations and characters, making them accessible to a wide audience. They were designed to make you think!
It uses “everyday situations and characters”. Jesus used common stories that everyone could relate to – you can get it! Part of the beauty of a story is that a story is far easier to remember than a list of facts. And it contains a valuable moral lesson or spiritual principle that you can take away.
I love that Jesus is personal and relatable. Jesus shares stories that everyone could grasp because the truth impacted their normal world. There’s the “oh yeah, been there”!
Let’s note that being a believer in Jesus should never make us unrelatable. God and the Holy Spirit and truth is as common as wind and leaves blowing around in the fall. It’s as every day as water. Common truth and experience binds us all together.
If there’s one thing we’re seeing in the world, it’s this, people are hungry for the truth. Jesus tells them about a farmer planting in a field.
Mark 4:3-8 – “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 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, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
This is the story! In Palestine they planted by broadcasting seeds. They just threw them in all directions. People were not driving cars along roads. They walked across the fields. The farmer would reach his hand into a bag and grab a handful of seeds, tossing them wherever appropriate as we crossed the well trodden paths. Inevitably, the seed landed on various types of soil and that soil type made all the difference.
Zeke and I went and broadcast planted acorns and walnuts in order to get a forestry tax break on our property. We’re converting some of the old fields into forest. The walnuts got thrown into all kinds of terrain that was lower and wetter. We tossed the acorns on the ridges. Some of Zekes didn’t get very far but I didn’t worry about. This was how they planted their seeds although I’m sure they did it much more professionally than myself and Zeke!!
The truth of God is relatable and impacts us exactly where we live.
B. TRUTH IS A POWERFUL LIKE A SEED
They planted seed. Jesus compares the seed to “the word” which would be truth from God and the gospel. But let’s consider a seed and ponder the power. The seed is the constant in this story. One guy, Christ, plants the same seed.
How powerful are seeds generally speaking?
The power in a seed in phenomenal. I would like to suggest that these seeds are mini-miracles. The fact that you can plant a seed and get what comes from that is mind blowing. Let’s say that you start out with one hot pepper seed, what will you get? Another seed? No, it’s one of the greatest deals in the galaxy. You’re going to get hundreds of seeds and the vegies or fruits to go with it.
I was cutting up peppers this fall to make hot pepper relish and my hands were on fire. Why? It’s the capsaisin oil that’s on the pepper. OK – we know that. But… how does oil come from a seed? The stem, leaves, blossoms, peppers, color? All that information written in a single seed? How is it possible for the pepper and a specific oil to be attached to a seed. It’s a miracle! The power of one little seed!!
A zucchini seed will furnish you quite a bit of food and that’s a beautiful thing in and of itself. The seed produces good things, life, beauty. No wonder that Jesus says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.
Jesus compares the seed to “the word”. It’s the truth of God. It’s the gospel. The seed of the gospel is one of the most beneficial seeds there can possibly be. That seed planted in someone’s heart is powerful and it’s going to become so much more.
The gospel in a nutshell is spelled out succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
This is the information that can save your souls. Salvation is having your sins forgiven and a home in heaven. And your sins are what what destroys us eternally and they have to be dealt with. Jesus removes your sin when you trust His death on the cross. The cross is the panacea.
How powerful is the gospel seed? It can free you from the penalty of sin. The power of sin. It can free you from the things that have held you back.
James 1:21 – Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. The word is the contrast to morally repulsive behaviors. And if you’ve had any of those, you’ve come to the right place for help. That word planted in you is as revolutionary as a seed planted in my garden. Life and fruit come from it.
Before moving on, the seed that makes a difference shows up in fruit. Now some of you may have been making lots of bad choices for a long time and that’s something you must deal with. Do this – let this seed bear good fruit which will crowd out the bad fruit of that past
Last week I went back east and we saw Jeri’s mother who is in a nursing home. Then we headed to the northern part of the state where I officiated my niece’s wedding. It was a huge family gathering! My aunts were there. My brothers and sister in laws. My nieces. My uncle Paul. Great times. My uncle gathered me 8 gallons of acorns. In our fields of prickers and buckthorn, we’re planting the 8 gallons and they will grow over time. And they will shade out the briars and prickers. That mess of a field will become a beautiful place! That’s the potential of seed. It’s transformational.
There is a constant in life and that constant is the word of God. It’s true. It’s practical. It’s transformational. It has the opportunity to shade out and replace a lot of the bad that’s in your life.
How will you respond? Your response to the truth is everything. Nothing changes until you do.
C. TRUTH NEEDS TO BE DOGGEDLY EMBRACED
Vv13-20 – Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
The seed is the constant. You are the variable. We for many reasons and situations and backgrounds, some will successfully receive truth and some will not. Jesus talks about four soils and all correspond to our hearts.
- Hard Heart
The path was hard and the seed hit it and it didn’t penetrate or germinate. What happened? Birds ate it. That seed went nowhere because it was taken away before it could do anything.
Some folks are like the path as they are hard to the truth penetrating their hearts and minds. They are determined not to listen. Since the seed is just laying there, Satan, taking no chances swoops down and removes it completely. I’m not sure how he does it or how he gets you to dismiss it.
Perhaps you were so disinterested in hearing it that it was like you never heard it. You never actually interacted with it, never took it seriously, so it made zero impact. Thus Satan had an easy time erasing all traces.
Isn’t it interesting that evil knows the power of good and stopping it before it starts. Satan doesn’t want any good thought in you that could germinate and change your life. He’s going to get after that and snatch it away!
Conversely, may we be wise enough to stop evil before it gets the chance to start. Stop it in seed form or “nip it in the bud” as they say. When I worked on a huge crop farm they sent me out in a bean field to chop down stray sunflowers with a machete. The first 30 minutes was a lot of fun. The next three or four hours of it, not so much. The farmer knew the value of putting an end to the seeds before they had a chance to spread more!
Bad ideas. Lust. Hatred. Jealousy. Stop it right now. Pitch it right out of your mind. You don’t have to say no a second time if you say no the first time. Don’t let stuff get a hold.
- Shallow Faith
Rocky soil, no root. This is a thin layer of topsoil over rock. There is literally nowhere for the root to go. The seed germinates but when the weather gets hot and dry, there’s no depth or water retainment so the plant withers and dies. Jesus compared that to trials and tribulations.
They embraced the good news with joy but there’s no root. I want to point out that all soil types encounter trials and tribulations. It’s not just the shallow soil but the shallow soil couldn’t survive when the heat got turned up.
All people experience trials and tribulations. Not everyone handles the heat in the same way. Some wither. It would be safe to say that you didn’t have a deep faith because you didn’t continue trusting God through the trial. It’s easy to believe in easy days! However, there’s no real conversion without real fruit!
This person starts off joy filled. It’s emotional, right? I’m happy. This makes ME happy and ME is the key ingredient. But trials make ME unhappy so I quit. Why? Cause ME is still the key ingredient as opposed to faith in God. Remember – it’s not about you – it’s about Him. You’ll be happiest not making yourself the center.
- Busy Life
The seed starts off well, but weeds choke it out. We’ve all seen things like this in the garden. The good stuff gets choked out by weeds, crab grass, things you don’t even know what they are called.
19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
What’s the trifecta of spiritual weeds here? WORRIES. WEALTH. WORLDLY DESIRES. It seems you’re distracted and drawn away to the lesser things. The busyness of life. Money. For sure. Desire. For sure. Problems that cause worry. This is human life in a nutshell.
- Worries of this life
We are told not to worry or be unduly concerned. And there are many things that are outside of our control that we still try to steer! It’s like you’re in a little car on a track at the amusement part and you’re steering the wheel like a madman but it never changes your direction.
There are many things that consume our thoughts. Bills to pay. Projects to do. Relationships breaking. Family. Health. Deadlines. Schedules. It’s whatever concerns us and pretty soon the concerns have outgrown our faith in God.
I like what Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Don’t get so caught up in the worries of life that you forget about God. You don’t want God to become smaller in your world while all the busyness gets bigger and bigger. There has to be a way to carve out time for the Lord.
- Deceitfulness of wealth
Wealth and fame and prestige can take you away from God and your family. It becomes the most dominant drive. And it’s so deceptive because it only asks for a little bit more of your time all the timeIt’s about getting more and more always seems better, right?
1 Timothy 6:9-10 – Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Paul warned that chasing money has caused “wandering from the faith” and filled people with grief. Money isn’t a problem but loving it can be a problem. You can surrender a lot including your own sanity if you chase it too hard.
Psalm 39:6 – “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.”
Rush about heaping up wealth – for what? As Jesus said, “What does it matter if you gain the whole world, if you lose your own soul”?
- Desires for other things / Worldliness
The word “desires” means longing or craving and some desires are good while others are bad. One man thought it was wrong if he had desires for his wife. What? Desire in that sense is not bad. Some might desire to be closer to God or to do well in service. Great. Desire for ice cream isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.
However, desire can refer to our cravings for sinful things and temptations and sometimes the world gets the best of us. We may wind up living only for us. You can be a conservative Christian and still live only for you without really bearing fruit and making a difference.
The analogy is so concrete. Worry, wealth, and worldliness are the weeds that choke out the good seed. Surrounds it. Shades it out. Dominates it. Dwarfs it. The gospel becomes the lesser. The world becomes the greater.
Reminds me of idol worship a bit. You did religious stuff but justified a bunch of bad stuff. Life supplanted God. This is where you have to doggedly hold to the truth of God’s word!
Is there anything that is choking out your walk with God and a useful Christianity that bears fruit, not arguments.
D. TRUTH LEADS TO CONCRETE CHANGES
The good soil allows for the seed to grow. The main soil ingredient here would be faith. You need to believe in it. Trust in the gospel which is the good news about Jesus Christ and what happens with that seed? It bears fruit. It brings good to others.
At minimum we can compare it to the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the love, joy, and peace. Kindness, patience, goodness. There are beneficial things.
The seed will bear fruit and lead us to help people and serve and be happier. And here’s the beauty of fruit – it’s natural. When the trees I planted in the orchard grow, I won’t have to beg them to be fruitful. They just will be. It won’t be able to do anything else other than be fruitful and multiply.
Vv10-11 – When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
The truth is that they like their sins and they are not turning. And because they are not turning they are not forgiven. The word is not impacting them and that’s truly the way that the want it. It’s pretty bad when you cannot understand a simple story.
These people were the religious evil. This is a nation would be obliterated in another 40 years. Jerusalem destroyed. A million killed. Children sold. Women captured. Prisoners drug back to Rome. Obviously, this was not an innocent people. They had lost touch with God even though they were “religious”. You can worship God and your heart still be far from him because you really aren’t caring past your personal bubble.
What am I saying, the truth has to make a difference in your life to the point that there is an obvious change in life. What in your life has changed? Keep believing and that seed implanted will make a big difference for you and for others.
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.