Like Jesus: Teach Like Jesus

In September of 1986, the late Adrian Rogers, former Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee preached on the same passage that we are studying this morning. To introduce the message that morning, he asked the following questions to his congregation.

“Why is it that when the preacher preaches, some people are saved and some people are not? Why is it that some believe the Bible and some don’t? Why is it that some go on for God and bear fruit and others don’t? What is the difference? What makes the difference? Pay attention, and you’ll learn.”

Well, this morning, as we open God’s Word to Mark 4 and study verses 1-20, I want us to focus on those same questions. And just like Pastor Rogers, I want to say that if you don’t know the answers to these questions pay attention, and you’ll learn. But I’d also like to challenge you to do something else this morning. As you are paying attention and learning, I also want you to be real with yourselves and examine your relationship with Jesus Christ. For some the way you answer these questions is dependent upon how serious you are about being in a relationship with Jesus and for others it’s about whether or not you have a relationship at all.

PRAY

The Oxford English Dictionary claims the phrase Once Upon A Time is a phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380. The phrase is most commonly associated with fairy tales that are told to younger children. Storytelling has been around as long as we have existed. Since the beginning of time storytelling has offered explanations about life, why things happen, as well as entertainment and enchantment. Over time communities have been strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the past, present and future.

For example:

· In Dr. Seuss’s famous Horton Hears A Who!, Horton discovers just how meaningful one tiny speck of dust can be when he meets the microscopic critters of Whoville. The mayor of Whoville appeals to Horton for protection and Horton agrees, adopting the mantra, “A person’s a person no matter how small.” The book underscores the importance of protecting those who cannot protect themselves.

· In E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, we meet the wisest spider to ever spin her way across the pages of a children’s book. Charlotte rescues Wilbur from certain death by spinning messages about him in her webs. She tells Wilbur, “A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to life up my life a trifle.” The point of the story is that we give our lives meaning by helping others.

· In Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day we find out that not every day is going to be a great day and we have to learn how to deal with hard circumstances when they arise.

There are so many examples of books I can give you that point us to some of life’s greatest lessons. When we hear these lessons told in story form, they stick with us and we remember them as we move through out our lives. That’s the beauty of storytelling.

The Gospel accounts of Jesus’s earthly ministry record that He used parables to communicate messages about God’s Kingdom and descriptions about events to come in His earthly ministry. A parable is a type of allegory in that a parable typically has a meaning that most often points to a moral lesson, which transcends time.

There are over 60 different types of recorded parables, illustrations, and analogies that Jesus used during His earthly ministry. A majority of them are recorded in Matthew and Luke, a few in Mark, and none in John. The first one is this morning’s verses and the other one is in Mark 12:1-12 where Jesus tells the parable of the wicked tenants which prepares the reader to understand His betrayal, trial, death, and resurrection.

So far, Mark has used the first three chapters to establish that Jesus came to the earth as the Son of God to establish God’s sovereign authority.

Because of His popularity, large crowds are following Him pretty much everywhere He goes, and this day is no different. Mark says that Jesus leaves the house where He’s been staying and makes His way down to the sea of Galilee, which is actually a large lake near the Jordan River.

With His disciples and the large crowd in toe, He climbs in a boat, sits down, and starts teaching. In verse 2, Mark tells us that Jesus “was teaching them many things in parables . . .” (Mk. 4:2, ESV). This indicates that Jesus told the crowds several parables, but the ones to come in Mark’s account only represent some of the things that Jesus was teaching that day. In other words, He taught them through several parables, but Mark only shared the ones that fit his narrative and target audience.

(vs. 3): Jesus opens this particular story by saying “Listen!” and “Behold . . .” This indicated to those in the crowd and the disciples that what Jesus was about to say was very important and they needed to pay careful attention to Him. Essentially, He is saying, “Listen up! I have something extremely important that I need to say and more importantly that you need to hear.” That’s why this parable is bookended with the words “Listen!” and “Behold . . .” and verse 9 which says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mk. 4:9, ESV).

He then goes on to spend the next seven verses describing four types of soil and the fate of the seeds that the sower spreads out on those soils.

READ Mark 4:3-9

At this point, Mark leaves the setting by the sea and moves the reader ahead to a scene that took place some time later in the day.

We’ve gone from Jesus being surrounded by a large crowd to now He’s alone. That is until “those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.” Here is where I believe Mark tells the reader why he only recorded a few of the many parables that Jesus told that day by the sea.

Check out who he says comes to Jesus to ask about the parables. It’s “those around him with the twelve.” Obviously we know that one group was the twelve disciples. But who makes up this other group? I believe it’s the same people who Jesus refers to as His mother, brothers and sisters back in Mk. 3:34-35. Here’s why.

As Jason told us last week, in the latter part of chapter 3 Mark describes two types of groups who were at the house where Jesus was staying. The first group is mentioned in verse 31. “And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.” As Jason said last week, this group represents those who are on the outside looking in because they failed to understand the point of who Jesus was.

The second group is introduced in verse 32. This group represents those on the inside. These are the ones who are His true family, because they, like Him, do the will of the Father.

Check out Mark 3:35 Jesus said, “whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (ESV).

Now, let’s come back to our verses for this morning. Mark says that “those around him” (which again, I believe to be the same ones who were with Him inside the house back in Mark 3:32-35) “those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven’” (Mark 4:10-12, ESV).

Just like in the latter verses of chapter 3, there are two types of people who are represented. First there are the “insiders” who have been given “the secret of the kingdom of God.” Then, there are the “outsiders” who, despite hearing the parables won’t understand anything about Him, His ministry, or His teachings because they’ve never repented and received God’s forgiveness. Basically, unrepentant people will never understand the kingdom of God or the things of God apart from accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

At this point, Jesus poses a question to His followers.

(Vs. 13) “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”

This is the first time that Mark brings out a theme that is going to reoccur throughout the remainder of the book. He’s underscoring the fact that the disciples’s lacked a full understanding about Jesus. Despite the fact that Jesus has just told them, that they are insiders, they still haven’t fully grasped who Jesus is. Now, as we know, over time they will come to that understanding, which will allow them and all believers to understand the words of Jesus’s parables.

Coming to verses 14-20, Jesus answers their question and it’s here that we will spend the remainder of our time this morning.

I. The Sower and The Seed (4:3-4;14)

Understanding that the seed represents the proclaiming of the Word of God is pretty easy, but there is some debate over who is represented by the sower.

There are those who believe the sower represents Jesus and others who believe it represents anyone who proclaims God’s Word. I tend to believe it represents both. In Mark’s day, there was only One who had the authority to proclaim God’s Word and that was Jesus.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that the sower is the Son of Man, which we know is Jesus Himself. So, it’s evident that at that moment in time, He represented the sower. Another reason, I agree that at the time Jesus told this parable He was referring to Himself as the sower is because, as we will talk about in a few moments, the four different types of soil that the seed falls on represents the four different groups of people that Jesus encountered during His time on earth.

But, just as much as I agree that Jesus was referring to Himself as the sower when He told this parable, I also believe when He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection, the responsibility of the sower was handed to the Church. Not just pastors and church leaders, but to anyone who is in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

How else can we fulfill the command of the Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20a, ESV) if we aren’t authorized by Him to proclaim the Word of God?

If the seed is never cast, then there’s zero chance for it to grow. The same is true for God’s Word. If we don’t proclaim His Word, then how will anyone come to know Christ? They won’t.

So, that’s why I believe the sower represented Jesus when He originally told the parable and it represents all Christians today.

II. Four Types of Soil

a. The Hard Heart (4:4;15, ESV)

The King James version of this verse reads this way, “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

The “way side” is a metaphor for a path that has been beaten down and void of any water for many months. This path has been so trampled and so dried up, that the seeds the sower throws out can’t sink into the soil. So, a bird comes along and devours them.

This soil represents those who hear the Word of God, but Satan, who is represented by the bird, comes along and immediately distracts them away from hearing what is being spoken. EssentiallyGod’s Word goes in one ear and right out the other.

John Piper lists three reasons how Satan works to never allow the Gospel to mean anything to those with a hardened heart.

People’s Inattention: Satan will use distractions to keep people from paying attention when they are being confronted with the Gospel. Maybe they are tired from being up late the night before, so it’s easy to drift off to sleep during the church service. Maybe it’s all that has to be done that upcoming week at work. Maybe it’s a meeting that you are dreading, a large project you’re in charge of, or issues you are having with a coworker. Maybe he uses relationship conflict, financial problems, or even dreams of financial grandeur to keep you from hearing the Word as it is preached.

People’s Ill-Will: Satan will use a person’s ill will toward the preacher to keep a person from hearing God’s Word. I think in our current climate, Satan uses the lie of intolerance to distract people from hearing God’s Word. How often do you hear that Christians are intolerant of another person’s lifestyle and therefore, we must bigots, xenophobes, homophobes, hypocrites, and other vile names. Satan loves using these ill-feelings and misconceptions against Christians, but especially to pervert God’s Word in such a way that makes it seem old-fashioned and dated. He continues to lie to these lost souls by convincing them they must model their morals and values after the world’s standards and not God’s Word. Grace and Mercy are turned to hatred.

People’s Ignorance: Paul tells the Corinthian church, “even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:3-4, ESV). Satan uses ignorance to blind people when it comes to being able to hear the message of the Gospel. To these people, science is more authoritative than scripture, Washington D.C. is the provider of all things, Hollywood establishes what is right and just in this world. Their worldview is completely corrupted and there is no room for the truths of God’s Word in their lives because it simply doesn’t make sense to them.

Satan, utilizing people’s inattention, ill-will, and ignorance, immediately removes the seeds of God’s Word from the person’s mind so that it never affects their heart.

II. The Shallow Heart (4:5, 16-17)

There was a young man who was a part of the first youth group I served when I started out in ministry. He started coming because he was a friend of the guys who had been coming to our church. Not long after he started we went to a summer camp called See Salt. While we were there this young man accepted Christ. I’ll never forget the moment he walked up to me and with tears falling from his eyes he told me he was ready to accept Jesus. I was so excited. This young man came from a broken family. He lived with his mom and hardly ever saw his dad. So, at the request of his mom, I tried my best to be a strong male influence in his life. A few months after I left the church, I learned that he’d walked away from his relationship with Jesus.

There are many people who that accept Christ and start out strong, but in their pursuit of being more like Him, they soon realize that the Christian life is difficult, so they give up and walk away. Jesus says these are the ones whose soil is rocky and while they initially receive God’s Word with joy, when they realize that Jesus meant it when He said that following Him meant carrying their cross daily, they walk away.

Too many people hear the Gospel in such a way that they think it means giving their lives to Jesus will equate to a life full of blessings. They don’t understand that becoming more like Jesus means that we enter into a spiritual war with our inner sinful nature, and with the culture and the ways of this world. They don’t understand that in the Christian life, suffering and discipline are a guarantee. Their faith is about a half-inch thick. And a faith that thin, will never survive the trials Christians face.

III. The Divided Heart (4: 7, 18-19)

There are some who embrace the Word, but gradually other interests like prestige, power and possessions choke Jesus out of first place and eventually out of their lives. Their number one goal becomes pleasing the world instead of living out the Word.

Jesus, while delivering the Sermon on the Mount, said “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24, ESV).

John writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16, ESV).

How often have you heard politicians say something like, “I am a Christian, but I will never impose my Christian faith on others by allowing it to influence my policies?” If you are like me, you cringe whenever you hear someone make this kind of statement. Here’s the reality. If you truly belong to God, then your faith influences everything you do and every decision you make. You can’t claim to love God, yet meet the demands of lobbyist by allowing Planned Parenthood perform whatever types of abortions they want to perform, no matter what stage of development of the baby. You make this claim and then turnaround and say that homosexual marriages are okay because Jesus never mentions anything homosexuality being a sin.

No person, political or not, can claim Christ as Lord, while also, willingly conforming their morals and values to this world. For those who try to serve both Jesus and the world, their relationship with Christ will never make it. It will be choked out by the thorns and never prove to be fruitful.

IV. The Good Heart (4:8, 20)

The seed that falls on the good soil, grows and becomes fruitful.

18th Century Pastor and Theologian John Gill said, “as the word of God, in whose hearts it works effectually; who receive it not into their heads only, but into their hearts; and having received it, hold it fast, and abide by it in the worst of times . . . all bring forth good fruit . . . —John Gill

Neither Christians or non-Christians are perfect. And so long as we remain on this earth, non of us will ever be perfect. There are those who hear God’s Word preached, accept it into their hearts and it changes them forever. No longer do they pursue the ways of this world, no longer do they place a higher authority over God and His Word, and everything about them is influenced and directed by their faith.

We opened this morning with the following questions, “Why is it that when the preacher preaches, some people are saved and some people are not? Why is it that some believe the Bible and some don’t? Why is it that some go on for God and bear fruit and others don’t? What is the difference? What makes the difference?”

Jesus gives us the answer to this question in verse 9. He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Is the heart of the individual prepared to hear and receive the truths of the Gospel?

I want to quickly close by giving you three ways to prepare your hearts for hearing God’s Word.

1. Spend time on Saturday night and Sunday morning preparing yourself for worship.

Do you need to go bed a little earlier on Saturday night, so that Satan can’t use fatigue to keep you from hearing God’s Word. Spend time on Saturday night praying and asking God to reveal to you what He wants you to hear by clearing all potential distractions. On Sunday morning, listen to hymns or praise and worship music while you’re getting dressed and while you are driving to church.

2. Focus all you can on listening to God’s Word.

I’m not just talking about listening during the sermon time. Be intent on listening to God’s Word as it is read before our worship service each week. Focus on the words we sing and how those words Magnify God. Focus on the prayers that we pray. Be completely engaged in the entire worship service, not just bits and pieces of it. We can’t cost through the worship service and think that it’s preparing our hearts for God’s Word.

3. Accept God’s Word while you hear it.

In verse 20, Jesus says “those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit . . .”(Mk. 4:20, ESV).

Don’t reject what you hear. Don’t pass it off as meaningless. Accept the Word of God and don’t resist it. Be willing to struggle with the passages that are unclear or challenge your worldview. Don’t just right them off. Understanding God’s Word is hard and even a lifetime of devout study will never yield all the messages that make it up. And that’s okay. Don’t just give up and say it doesn’t make any sense. Dig in. Drill down. Hear it and hear how God speaks to you through it.

The final question this morning is simply this. What type of soil is your hear made of today? Is it hardened? Is it shallow? Is it divided? Or is it ripe and read to receive the Word of God so that He can make you fruitful?