The Secrets of the Kingdom II
Mark 4: 3 “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, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 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!’ ” 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
“The secret of the Kingdom” we started talking about this last week. We want to see the kingdom of God grow in us and in the earth. Growth.
· I want to look at some things that a farmer knows that we don’t know or maybe just don’t practice.
· A “real farmer” is a professional
o Maybe one of the reasons that we are not successful is that we have not become “farmers”. I’ve told you some of the stories about my attempts at farming. They are funny because I don’t know what I am doing. I am a Hobby gardener I am not doing this to live.
o A real farmer farms for a living, he takes it serious, he prepares, he learns, he practices, he succeeds and fails, he plants and harvests in all kinds of weather.
§ Stop playing with your life, live it!
o Why would any farmer plant seed on a path, on unprepared stony soil and among the thorns? By accident or plan he wouldn’t expect a harvest from theses areas of his field.
o A farmer doesn’t eat all his seed!
Matthew 4: 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Are we only consumers or producers too!
o A farmer plants more seed than a hobby gardener
2 Corinthians 9: 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
o A farmer plants in all weather
Ecclesiastes 11: 4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (LNT) If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
Isaiah 55: 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the Farmer and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
o A farmer submits to the “laws of nature” if he wants to succeed.
Take out my seeds and tell them about planting now! Wrong time, not understanding the seasons and patience.
· The earth was different place before the flood of Noah. It didn’t rain!
Genesis 8: 22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Farming became difficult
· Noah and his sons had to learn a new way of living, planting and growing things. They had to learn to live with the seasons, natural seasons, seed times and harvest times.
· “Seed times” before the flood things grew all the time.
Galatians 6: 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Isaiah 55: 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
· Your ways vs. Higher ways
o HIGHER WAYS come from HIGHER THOUGHTS.
· Your thoughts vs. Higher thoughts
Any Farmer knows that you can’t makeup your own rules, you have to follow the established laws of nature.
o A farmer plants what he wants to harvest
Galatians 6: 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
· It has to be sown (It does no good in the bag) lay the bags of seeds on the ground or maybe just tell the seed to grow.
o A farmer doesn’t only store seed, he plants it. Planting is always with the mouth. What did you plant this week?
Is 55:10b …seed for the Farmer and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
· He knows that the right seed is important because of what is in it.
o The right seed (you don’t like the harvest check the bag of seeds) I actually wanted watermelons but I couldn’t find any watermelon seeds so I bought these. They are seeds too so they should work right?
o Will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
o I talked about this in my leadership class that every seed has two things in it. The power to produce itself and the plan. The scripture here uses the words “desire” and “purpose”
· His will (purpose) is in the seed! What is his will? Plant it and you will see!
o Take a seed out; what is this supposed to be? PLANT IT and you will know!
“Future Farmers of America” a class offered in High School.
Let’s be Farmers, OK?
What are you planning on harvesting this year? Health, Healing, Financial Blessing, Church Growth, Love, peace, patience, Good Relationships…
What are you planting? The Word! Which word?
Healing: Ok farmers give me some seeds…How do you plant them?