Title: Jesus and the Word
Theme: To understand that Jesus puts emphasis in receiving the Word.
Text: Mark 4
Offering
2Co 9:6-7 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Mar 4:1-9 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. (2) Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: (3) "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. (4) And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. (5) Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. (6) But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. (7) And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. (8) But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." (9) And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Mar 4:10-12 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. (11) And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, (12) so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.' "
It is not as if he does these things to conceal the kingdom from others but actually the opposite. He speaks in parables so that people can understand. The problem is their unbelieving heart causes not to see them. Listen to the Message.
MSG 11 He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom--you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. 12 These are people-- Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."
Jesus speaks in parables not to harden their hearts but because their hearts are already hardened. Some people don’t listen to what you say except to try to find an argument against you. Sometimes its just not worth the effort to talk about.
Some people say, “I want to know, I want to know Christ”. They say it but it is not true. They don’t want to make the sacrifices. They don’t want to give into the ways of Christ. They like the idea of salvation but giving up something is to hard. This even happens to Christians.
In each of these situations you discover that there is only one variable in each situation or one thing that changes. The sower is the same it is God. As we know God does not change “he is the same yesterday, today and forever”. The Word does not change. It has been the same for close to two thousand years and it will not change. It is a closed revelation. There is nothing being added to it.
The only variable is the soil. In each section the soil or the individuals response to the Word that changes.
13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
NIV 13 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
MSG 13 He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
If you can figure out the meaning of this parable then you can understand the others. In other words there is a lot that is tied into this. I believe that as we start this New Year we need to figure out what this parable means to us so that God can prepare us to receive what he wants us to have.
Perspective is the key. Also as we will see the heart is the key. Where your heart is helps you to bring understanding to what you are listening to. It is not all about attention with the eyes and mind but the heart.
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MSG 21 It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
Mar 4:14 The sower sows the word.
The sower is Christ and obliviously the word is the word of God
So the sower is Jesus himself and the what the sower sows is the word which is a seed.
But the main thing is what happens to the seed. When thinking about this I am reminded of the verse in scripture that says," Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Why because that seed is there. Let us look at what Jesus said to be the reactions of those to the seed of God's word.
The word is God's logos ( 3056 written word, oracles of God Matthew 8:8 "speak the word (logos) and my servant shall be healed" ), as we read, also God's rhema (Matthew 4:4 "man does not live by bread alone but by every that comes from the mouth of God") word as he speaks to us.
In these next verses we will see four reactions to the preaching and reading of Gods word.
I. Wayside or Indifferent Heart
No reception at all. A person is too far gone. The Word of God no longer affects them
The Hard-heart or the hardened life
4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
This wayside is:
A hard place
may be regular hearer but the path is beaten and worn by any idea that comes along. More worried about self and what God can do for him that what he can do for God.
Very open to the pleasures of sin
B. A dangerous place
1. it is exposed to:
a. the fowls of the air
Luke 8:12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
b. the feet of every passer by.
It is always in danger until it is hid.
Your word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:11
Christians
This parable was applied mainly to the non-Christians but I would like to apply it to the Christians. Sometimes the Lord is teaching us something. Sometimes he is trying to allow us to grow through a seed that he puts in our hearts.
Satan may not literally take it out from us like he does some non-Christians but he finds ways so we may miss it. He finds distractions. He makes you feel tired and sleepy. You are so focused on yourself that you cannot receive the word.
It is true that Satan and his demons cannot posses a Christians but he can do the next best thing and try to stop them from growing and try to stop the seed from growing inside of them.
Many of people I have talked to in life who just don't have time for Jesus. He can wait. When they hear the word of God they put him off. Over and over again until finally they fall by the wayside.
II. The stony Ground or emotional Hearer
The shallow heart or the shallow life
5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.
A. joyfully received
In this part it is different. Here you have a person who receives the Word maybe gets all emotional during the service but something happens. They begin to see that it is not all joy, it is not easy then they begin to fall away. And notice it does not say that Satan took it away. It was the flesh.
These have been called, “Alka-Seltzer Christians, they have a lot of fizz but there is nothing when it dies down.”
Tribulation (problems, difficulty) and Persecution
B. Quickly starved
They are not rooted so they blow away.
Proverbs 12:3 A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
Paul said in Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
We are to get rooted in his word. We are to be as a tree planted by the water. I shall not be moved.
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
We must not give up when we are faced with trials of this world
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Mt 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Completely scorched
there is no nourishment
III. The Thorny Ground, or Double minded Hearer
The over-crowded heart or the over crowded life
(7) And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, (19) and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:19 Contemporary English Version But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.
A. Abundant soil
Here we see a third kind of people. We said that in the first one the Word was stolen by whom? Satan. Why was it gone in the second person? The flesh. Now who took this one? the world
So we see three culprits all only given up to what we allow them to.
This one here all is good and well. Life is good. God has touched and delivered. This last for a while until again troubles come our way. Then worries. Financial problems, family problems, relationship problems, job problems, wife problems. Then it is gone.
But they were double minded
Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
We might say this ground is too fertile. The word of God grows there, but so does everything else. And everything else soon begins to crowd out the word of God.
the heart was open to too many things. Stay on point.
B. They were preoccupied
Luke 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Mt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
In Genesis 13 Lot received the word for a while but when he saw the temptations of the world at Sodom he began to join them. So the same happened to Achan in Joshua 7, and Gehazi Elijah’s servant 2 Kings 5
Luke 14:16 the preoccupied guests
Two things here
1. If we are too preoccupied we can miss the word of the Lord and His calling
2. God’s Word will not come back void He will find someone to receive it.
Soil wound up being unfruitful
Sin will finally show itself in a persons life. Worry will show it self.
Non-Christian
Notice that the word started out as being fruitful but it became non fruitful.
Isaiah 55:6-11 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (8) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. (9) "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (10) "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
To a non-Christian. This is one who accepts the word at face value. Maybe they heard of heaven or hell and the decision was based on it. Maybe someone was kind to them or they got something for it. Maybe they were inticed into a decision. Some preachers word up Christianity so much. They make it look so glorious and richly. People beg to get in.
But then when they see the world and see it is not what they thought they begin to drift away and not grow. First of all the cares of the world begin to interfere. Oh man how many have been distracted by the cares of the world. By the priorities in life. The delight in the world. It seems that all others prosper. It is a big distraction.
Christian
Christians sometimes get caught up the same way. They themselves allow the seed to die. They get caught up in the cares of the world. It is so easy to be distracted. How many excuses have I heard about not being in church? How many? How many have I heard for not paying tithes or reading the Bible? Or even growing? Man I could write a book on excuses.
IV. Good Ground or Receptive Heart
The good heart or the receptive life
(8) But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."
God gives the increase we just take hold and hold on. It is the effort that we take on.
Three areas that help to have good soil
- a prepared heart
- an understanding heart ( full liberty of the soil)
- a fruitful heart
The Increase – MSG “beyond their wildest dreams”
thirty -
sixty -
one hundred -
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
Conclusion
The Lord wants to mess some things up in your life. You vowed to let go of old wineskins so that he could pour out some new wine in your life. You said you want to go deep not just ankle or waist but fully, “all in”. Well for that to happen the Lord has got to mess with some ground.
In 2013 the Lord wants to mess up some ground.
