Mark 4_1_25 Sermon USE THIS ONE

Mark 4:1-25 A Time for inspection

Intro: I was craving something sweet the other day so I told Hope I was going to make some brownies, she knows how I like my brownies, I like them fudgy, filled with marshmallows and chocolate chips, she said to me I don’t like fudgy brownies I like mine cakey, so being the loving husband that I am I told her “you are the only one, the boys and I like our brownies fudgy.” I went into the pantry and found a box of fudge brownies and shouted “boom” with excitement, I took the brownies into the kitchen with great anticipation and was about to open them when I noticed they had expired in 2019. Hope said “there is nothing wrong with those brownies” to which I replied the “maker says that that they are no good.” The box looked good but the creator said the inside is not.

So it is with man, just because the outside looks good doesn’t mean the inside is good, and the Lord is not concerned with outside appearances but with what is on the inside.

This text takes place shortly after Jesus calls His disciples and to the disciples everything looked good, there were great crowds showing up and excitement in the air but Jesus saw through all of this. The Gospel of Matthew (13:1) tells us “on that day.” The day of rejection, when the religious leaders rejected Jesus even after hearing His teachings and seeing His miracles, they attributed His work to the devil.

This day was prophesied by Isaiah (6:9-10) as the day the prophets and saints of old had longed for the day of God’s visitation. From this moment on Jesus began to only teach in parables when the multitudes were around. Parable is the Greek word “parabolē” it means “a placing beside” or to throw or lay alongside; it is the placing of one thing beside another with a view to compare. Jesus used parables by placing of a part of everyday life beside a spiritual truth in order to reveal divine revelation and at the same time to conceal divine revelation from those who opposed Him. In this case Jesus laid farming beside the kingdom of God to teach the disciples how the kingdom of God will increase.

That was Jesus’ message, the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is a hand, repent and believe the Gospel! Now, I believe there was a misconception about the kingdom of God on the part of Jesus’ followers, I believe they and many thought that the Kingdom of God was a national kingdom but instead it is a personal Kingdom, Jesus 1st advent wasn’t for the nation He came for the person and though national Israel rejected Him He could still be accepted personally through repentance and faith.

CPS: Jesus was not impressed by the large crowds that gathered because as God He could see inside to their heart, He is concerned about the individual and what they do with the Gospel that they hear, He gives this parable to explain the importance of the Gospel Message to the growing Kingdom of God and this parable shows us that there are three things that must be present for someone to enter into His kingdom, there must be a sower, seed, and soil.

The productivity of the Sower Vs. 3

I’m no Farmer but I do know that a crop cannot grow unless there is someone to sow the field.

Sower/Sow/Soweth (5x) speirō = (Verb) means to scatter, or the scattering of seed.

ILL: In Ancient Israel there were not machines used to plant a field so it was done by hand, the sower reached into his apron/sack and scattered the seed by hand.

Jesus Sowed Seeds

The Disciples Sowed Seeds

The Christians Sow Seeds

Sow Plentifully

Sow Passionately

Sow Patiently

Sow Prayerfully

The productivity of the Seed Vs. 4-11

I’m no farmer but I do know that a crop cannot grow unless there is seed sown in the field

Some (9x) hos = (pronoun ) the antecedent is the speirō, what is being sown or scattered.

ILL: In Ancient Israel the seed wasn’t sown in straight rows but was scattered about across the ground.

Mark tells us what was being sowed in Vs. 14, it is the Word or logos (7x) in this context it is the Gospel or the content that Jesus preached. In this parable Jesus compares seed and the Gospel side by side using it as the unit of reproduction of life… One cannot enter the Kingdom of God outside of the Word/Gospel of God.

The Seed is Wonderful

The Seed is Powerful

The Seed is Fruitful

The productivity of the Soil Vs. 14-20

I’m no farmer but I do know that a crop cannot grow unless there is soil to sow the seed into.

In this parable the seed is being sown in the heart of the individual, there are 4 hearts pictured here of the 4 only one heart is receptive to seed/Gospel.

ILL: In Ancient Israel the sower scattered the seed and it fell on different types of soil, the farmer would then plow the seed into the ground.

By The Way Side/ Hard Heart

Hodos = Road Path… hard ground beaten down by the use of feet, carts, and wagons; the seed is left exposed with nothing to protect it from the enemy who wishes to steal, kill, and destroy.

The Stoney Ground/ The Impulsive Heart

Petrōdes = thin layer of soil with bedrock or large rocks underneath, Shallowness of earth prevented the seed from taking deep root. It is a superficial response to the Gospel, perhaps in the emotion of a fervent gospel appeal, he makes a profession of faith in Christ. But it is just a mental assent. There is no real commitment to the person to Christ and when times get difficult they fall by the way because they were not rooted and grounded in Him

The Thorns/ The Destructive Heart

The Lust of the Flesh

The Lust of the Eyes

The Pride of Life

The Good Ground/ The Productive Heart

Gē = Ground/Soil – earth or arable land capable of being plowed and used to grow crops. Land suitable for growing crops. This land produced yield and gave increase

Conclusion: The Light Exposes (21-23) To those who have spiritual truth more will be given

Illustration: In the Middle East there is a large market for Pottery – one way to check the pottery to see it was of quality is to put it up into the light. Light reveals cracks and flaws. Sometimes cracks were covered with glue or paste – the sunlight exposes the glue and in time will melt it. The light reveals all things -open and secret. A day is coming when we will have to stand in the light – a day of manifestation, it will be seen if business or self-indulgence were allowed to take precedence over testimony for the Savior.