The Sower, The Seed and The Soil - Feb 2, 2020

The Sower, The Seed and The Soil

Text: Mark 4:1-20
Thesis: In the building of the Kingdom of God, Jesus uses a farming metaphor to reveal three keys to producing growth.

I. The Farmer sows the seed. (vs 3 &14)

A. Jesus, while not specifically identifying who the farmer is, specifically states there is someone who sows the seed.

1. God has graciously chosen to use his followers as ambassadors to share the “Good News”.
“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20)

2. The Apostle further proclaims, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
B. Have fun in sowing the seed and don’t be frugal! 😊

II. The “seed” is the “word” of God (Vs 3&14)

A. It is important to note that the “seed” is perfect. Never does Jesus attribute the failure of the crop to the seed.

B. Jesus in scripture is identified as the personification of the “word” of God which is the seed.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace truth.” (John 1:1 & 14)

C. Jesus is perfect and so is his teaching.

D. Jesus has the power to save and transform lives if people are willing.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2Cor.5:17)

1. Trust in the power of the seed or Word.

III. There are four types of soil that represent the hearts of mankind. (vs 4-8; &15-20)

1st The first type of soil is the hardened life. (vs4&15)
“As soon as the word is sown…As soon as they hear it Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”
Action Step: As Spiritual farmers we need to pray and work to soften their hearts through Christ-like love.

2nd The second type of soil is the shallow life. (vs5-6;16-17)
1. These individuals “received the word at once with joy”
2. However, “when trouble came because of the word, they fell away.”
3. Jesus points out “they withered because they had no root.”

Action step: We need to have our roots deep in Christ, His word and his Church, and encourage others to do the same.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

3rd The third type of soil is the crowded life.(vs7&18-19)
1. These individuals “hear the word” and develop into spiritual “plants” (vs7) but because of the “worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come and choke the word making it unfruitful.”

Action Step: We must put our trust totally in God and do not seek after the things of this world to satisfy our basic needs.

“You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

4th The fourth type of soil is the receptive life. (8&20)

1. This individual “hears the word, accepts it and produces a crop-thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

Action Step: This individual not only confesses their sins and are saved but consecrates their life to God and are Sanctified Holy.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thes. 5:23-24)