Sermon Notes - May 26, 2024
Follow Me / Mark 4 / Becoming Good Soil
Pastor Chris Pletcher
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.11 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, 12 so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word.15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
A Lamp Under a Basket
21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
The Parable of the Seed Growing
26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
Jesus Calms a Storm
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
“LISTEN! A sower went out to sow…”
BROADCASTING SEED //
Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g]in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
BROAD RANGE OF OUTCOMES //
Seed gets snatched (the devil - spiritual warfare is real)
Seed withers (no moisture to sustain through drought)
Seed gets choked (by the world… “cares and riches and pleasures of life”)
Seed is “held fast, kept secure, possessed” and it YIELDS FRUIT!
BECOMING GOOD SOIL //
BE Careful how you Listen
BE Ready to Endure
BEware of the Love of Money
BE careful how you Listen
Mark 4:3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.”
Mark 4:14-20 “The sower sows the word.15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:23-25 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
How to be a good listener…
Attitude - Coming with humility and open-mindedness.
Attention - Taking steps that help you receive and focus on the information being shared (note-taking)
Adjustment - Committing to let the truth shape and mold you… we aren’t here for information; we are here for transformation.
Example: Religious Spirit teaching from last Sunday… ”Oh nice, that was very informative. I loved the criteria that was shared for testing the spirits.” Or… “Ouch, I have definitely partnered with a religious spirit in the past. I was even partnering with that today! I should adjust and repent!”
BE Ready to Endure
Main point of this parable… WILL YOU HOLD ONTO THE WORD THAT YOU HAVE HEARD? If you keep it secure, guard it, and possess it, it will bear fruit and you will HEAR MORE.
Disclaimer: Bearing fruit takes time and patience, which is why endurance is required. Did you notice verse 28? “The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” Growth doesn’t come all at once, which is why endurance is KEY.
Endurance also matters because “falling away” is a possibility.
Mark 4:16-17 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
“Fall away” = skandalizō = “To put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall”
Luke 17:1-2 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
Romans 9:32-33 They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense (skandalon); and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The root word here means “something that offends”
KJV translates this verse like this: Mark 4:17 (KJV) “And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.”
ARE YOU SENDING YOUR ROOTS DEEP?
Persevering in your faith is a biblical necessity…
Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Luke 8:15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Here is how the bible tells us to deepen our roots…
Encourage one another DAILY (Hebrews 3:12-14)
Find moisture for your soil DAILY (Psalm 1)
Abide in one place DAY after DAY (John 15:1-9)
Hold Fast what you have DAILY (Revelation 3:11)
I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
BEware of the love of money
The seed in the 3rd soil gets choked out by the “cares and riches and pleasures of life”
Cares - 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast your anxieties upon the Lord…”
Riches - 1 Timothy 6:17-19 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
Pleasures - 1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
The only way to avoid the “choking effect” of the thorns is to CUT THEM BACK. The best way to guard your heart against the “deceitfulness of riches” is to give money away. Start with obedience to a 10% tithe of your income. For some of you, that won’t hurt enough…
Respond // BE CAREFUL HOW YOU HEAR
God, what are you saying to me today?
How can I guard the seed of Your word so that it grows?
What is one thing I can do to deepen my roots this summer?
Are there any “thorns” I need to cut back so that they don’t rob my fruitfulness?