What Happens When We Share the Gospel? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: When we spread the Gospel, there will be various responses, and many won’t be positive, but don’t despair. We have been called to sow; Jesus brings the growth!
SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:1-9, 14-32
1 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.”
Admittedly, this morning’s passage is an ambitious undertaking for me, as I tend to cover just a few verses at a time and today we’re looking at nearly 30. (Fear not, the next 3 passages are much smaller ☺.) However, as I read over and chewed on these parables this week, I could not separate their messages in my mind. And I went back and forth a lot on whether or not to cover them in one service or two. (Melissa listened to me ramble about this on several occasions.) In the end, I felt they were too interconnected to break up.
Parables have frequently been referred to as earthly stories with Heavenly meaning, and as I’ve studied this week it has been pointed out again and again that this meaning is typically very focused. There is one major point being made. This larger parable, probably most accurately referred to as the parable of the soils, is likely very familiar. And while there is much we can learn from it, the big picture message is tied directly to what we addressed last Sunday morning. Christians are called to be with Jesus, share His truth, and stand firm through Him in the midst of trials. Here we’re told what to expect when we do this. Gist? When we spread the Gospel, there will be various responses and many won’t be positive, but don’t despair. We have been called to sow; Jesus brings the growth!
- THERE WILL BE VARIOUS RESPONSES TO THE GOSPEL (1-9, 14-20)
Context. Again, we see Jesus in the midst of a massive crowd. This time, we actually see Him get out into the boat He mentioned in 3:9, just so He can teach them all. And in this context, Jesus teaches about how the Gospel message will be received. He uses a common illustration, that of a sower sowing seed, to illustrate this point. The method of sowing referred to here is literally that of tossing seed onto the ground, so we can’t bring modern agricultural methods into this...or critique this methodology as inefficient...that’s not the point☺. The point is the seed is going to be thrown all over the place, and, depending on where it lands, produce varied results.
Interpretation. Now, next Sunday night, we’ll be looking at the nature of these parables and why Jesus used them. For now, it is important to note that the disciples weren’t really sure what He was talking about, so they, along with a group of people who stuck around, asked Him about it. And we have His explanation recorded here for us. Praise the Lord!
Seed=Word; Soils=Responses (14-20). First, we’re told what this seed is that is being sown, “14 The sower sows the word.” This is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus’ salvation. Then, we’re given a breakdown of responses to that message (note, the seed is never the problem; it’s perfect). And, as we’ve pointed out before, there is more time spent on the negative responses than the positive because Jesus knows where our hearts are. There is a good chance you have heard this particular break down many times in your life. Nonetheless, it’s repeated in the synoptic Gospels for a reason. We need to understand this.
Sometimes, the word falls on the path. “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.” If you remember from a few weeks ago, farmers in this area would leave paths through their fields so people could walk along them, so this isn’t a picture of the sower just going crazy and throwing seed into the street. Yet, the effect is the same. That ground is so beaten down, the seed doesn’t ever pierce the surface. This is a picture of superficial hearing. There is no acceptance of this word at all. They have so embraced the sinfulness of this world, and Satan keeps them there. (This is something worth camping out on for a long time, but we’ll see it as these parables unfold. This is a spiritual battle!)
Sometimes, the word falls on rocky soil. 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. There is an initial excitement, but no true acceptance because there is no true understanding. How do we know this? They have no root, so when they realize the cost of following Jesus, they’re out. Persecution and tribulation turn them away because that isn’t what they think they are getting themselves into. And that right there is the key: it is about them, not Jesus.
Sometimes, the word falls on thorny soil. 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. This one really hit me this week. These people hear the word, but miss it because they’re worried about all the wrong things. Their worry about the concerns of this life choke the seed. Their eyes and hearts are misfocused. Pastor Paul Tripp pointed out that we see this often in churches. It just might look a little different because we try and spiritualize our misguidance. People listen to God’s Word and think, “Yeah, I really hope John Doe is listening to this point. He really needs to have that change his life.” Or even in personal study, there is the tendency to look for things to “teach others” rather than looking for God’s Word to change our hearts. But if we do that, we’re missing the whole point...just like this soil.
Sometimes, though, the seed does fall on good soil. 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.” What makes it good? We’ll first of all we have to point this out, the soil has been prepared by God to receive the seed (more on this in a second); it hears and accepts the word, and then it bears fruit. And that’s the key. This soil is changed and used by God, and the evidence is that there is fruit...this seed starts sowing! Now there seem to be varying amounts of fruit production (30x, 60x, and 100x), but the common denominator is fruit production!
- DON’T DESPAIR; WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO SOW (21-25)
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 ,n,. 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.”
Purpose: Lighting the room, not hiding under the bed. This parable might step away from the agricultural theme for a second (we’ll be back to it momentarily), but it’s definitely connected. Jesus just told us there will be various responses to His word, and many of them won’t be positive. Nonetheless, even when faced with many negative responses, we must continue to share His Gospel...because that is our purpose. We’re suppose to His light in this world...which we cannot do if we’re hiding under our beds.
Seriousness of this work. And this is a big deal! He tells us to pay attention to what we hear and how we receive it (remember the soils above?). That is what is meant by the “measure used”. This matters….eternally! There are two options presented: continual growth in God resulting from acceptance and pursuit or eternal darkness resulting from rejection...and self-pursuit. There is no middle ground.
So, we need to not only be careful how we listen, but also be part of that which is worth listening to! That’s the purpose of being the light. We’re suppose to point people to Jesus...not give them our sage advice based our own understandings. People need us to show them His light. If we give them anything but Him, we’re just screaming in the darkness...which accomplishes nothing.
(SIDE NOTE: I found the NLT helpful in articulating this verse: “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”)
- JESUS BRINGS THE GROWTH (26-32)
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.”
Balance: God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility. This is such a vital picture to see. God is sovereign. Oh, how we need to remember this. He is 100% in control. However, this does not free us from responsibility. See, He ordains both the means and the result. See the bookends. The farmer basically has nothing to do with the actual production. He didn’t make the seed; he doesn’t make it grow. Yet, he is expected to spread it and harvest its fruit. YES! AMEN!
Farmers sow and water, but they don’t actually make the seed grow. They can’t crawl down inside that seed and somehow force it to start sprouting. We share the Gospel, but we don’t save people. Jesus does. Yet, when He does save, we need to reap that Harvest. What does that look like? Discipleship! You reap a harvest so the crop can be used. When people are saved, we start helping them live for Christ.
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.”
From our perspective, God’s kingdom might seem small and insignificant. Imagine how the disciples must have felt by the time Jesus is crucified? Things were looking good for a while...then all the sudden they’re scattered and scared. But… God was not even close to being done yet!
13“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14
The same is true today. Our country is not seeking God. Sometimes, it might seem many of our efforts are in vain. Don’t lose perspective. God is moving.
TAKEAWAYS
- Examine your dirt.
This is personal. Examine your own heart. How are you responding to the Gospel? Is it getting in at all? Have you allowed the cares of this world to prevent you from being changed by Him?
Examine yourself, but don’t try and examine other people’s dirt. You can’t know that. This Spurgeon quote is spot on: “I remember Rowland Hill’s reply, when somebody said that he ought to preach only to the elect. “Very well,” he said, “next Sunday morning, chalk them all on the back, and when you have done that, I will preach to them.” But the chalking of them on the back is the difficulty—we cannot do that, and, as we cannot do that, the best way is for us to leave our God to carry out the purposes of His distinguishing grace in His own effectual way, and not attempt to do what we certainly can never accomplish! There, scatter a handful of seed “by the wayside.” Even if the birds of the air devour it, there is plenty more where that came from, and it would be a pity for us to leave any portion unsown because we were miserly and stingy with our Master’s seed!” (Click here for entire message)
- Sow His seed.
And... don’t grow weary. Instead-->
- Rejoice in His movement.
He is working. Praise Him for that.
- Reap His harvest.
Disciple. Today, we had the great joy of opening the service with the baptism of a young man. We cannot leave him wet; we have to help him grow in his walk with the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment