We are looking this morning at
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. Mark, chapter 4, and in this
chapter, the Lord tells the parable of the sower, the sower of the
seed, and how that seed fell on four different types of ground. Well, he begins this way. In
verse 2, it reads, the Lord taught them many things by parables. And down in verse 34, it says,
without a parable spake he not unto them." He only spoke in
parables here. Now, a parable is an earthly
story to illustrate spiritual truth. A simple story using everyday
things or occurrences to illustrate profound and spiritual truth. Why did the Lord speak in parables?
They asked Him that question. His disciples say in verse 10,
when he was alone and they were about him with the twelve, they
asked him of this parable that he just told them of the sower.
And he said unto them, quoting from Isaiah, he said unto you
it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom, but unto them
that are without on the outside, all these things are done in
parable. You see, salvation is of the
Lord. The redemption of the sinner
from first to last is of the Lord. It is not a cooperative
effort. Man does not help. Man does not do it by his own
works or will, but it is of the Lord from the purpose of it to
the application of it to the final glorification of it. Salvation is of the Lord. God
Almighty purposed salvation. Jesus Christ purchased salvation
and the Holy Spirit applies salvation. And the way in which the Holy
Spirit applies salvation is through the preaching of the word. It
is the word, Peter said, which we are born again by, born from
above, begotten by the word of truth, Peter said. And this is
by the Holy Spirit implanting that seed or that word in the
heart of the hearer. It is not by our might or power
or by our intellect or by our ability to discern it. But it
is the gift of God, as with everything in salvation. It is the power
and the gift of God Almighty. God must reveal the truth. No man by searching, Job said,
can find out God unto perfection. And Paul said in 1 Corinthians
2, that these things are revealed by the Spirit of God. The natural
man doesn't receive them. He cannot. They're spiritually
understood. And so the Holy Spirit must reveal
the truth, and it's hidden to most, but revealed unto some
whom God has chosen to reveal it. That's His prerogative as
God. None deserve it, but He in grace
and mercy reveals the truth to some, just like these twelve
apostles. All right, now he tells a story
of a sower that went forth to sow the word. Verse 14, and I'll
not read the whole parable for the sake of time, but we'll read
our Lord's explanation of it. In verse 14, he says the sower
soweth the word." Now, this is an illustration of a man going
out to sow a field, such as sow it in grass or cornfield, and
he's throwing the seed to the wind in order to plant that field. And he says, the sower is the
one who sows the word. Now, ultimately, Christ is the
Word, and the seed which is sown is the Word of God, and the Holy
Spirit is the sower of it. The incorruptible seed, Peter
called the Word of God, is that which we are born from above.
This is the seed which God plants in the heart, producing life
and faith. And the sower of it is the Holy
Spirit. But he sends preachers out to
sow this word. They are instruments in the hands
of the Holy Spirit to sow this word. It's what it says in 1
Corinthians 1. It says that it pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. That is 1 Corinthians 1. Well, the preacher preaches the
word, and he is not able to plant one word of God in the heart
of any hearer. It's not in the power of a man
to apply the word of God. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So the preacher preaches to all.
He throws the word out there. He preaches the word, declares
the word. And it's up to the Holy Spirit,
though, to sow this word in the heart of the hearer. And it's
his divine prerogative to whom he will do this work, upon whom
he will do this work. All right? The seed is the Word
of God, which is preached, and the ground is the heart. Now,
just as whether or not the seed grows depends on the type of
ground, it's the same with the Word of God. The condition of
the heart is the issue. That's what the scripture says,
that's what the Lord said, out of the heart are the issues of
life, the condition of the heart. All right. Now, our Lord gives
four types of ground here upon which the seed fell upon, four
types of ground, and each one illustrates the heart, four types
of heroes. And I'm certain as as this parable
that There are four types of hearers that are listening to
this program right now. All right. He begins to tell
about the word which fell by the wayside. In verse 15, he
says, These are they by the wayside. The word fell by the wayside,
it says, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it. Our
Lord says in verse 15, these that are by the wayside where
the word is sown, when they hear it, Satan cometh immediately
and taketh away the word that was sown in their heart. It says
by the way, these are they by the way, they're not in the way,
but they're close, but they're not in it. I remember our Lord
saying that one time to a man who he said, Thou art not far
from the kingdom." Well, you're either in the kingdom of God
or you're not. You're either in Christ by faith or you're
not. There's no straddling of the
spiritual fence. You're either in Christ, you're
either in the way, Christ the way, the truth and the life,
or you're not. One's either alive or dead. You cannot be halfway. So you're
either in Christ or you're not. All right, these are they, he
said, who are by the way. They hear the word, but they're
not in Christ by faith. They're not in him. And it says
the word, they hear the word, but it has no effect on them,
for Satan cometh and taketh it away. They're not in love with
Christ. They're not in Christ by faith. There's no heart in them for
the gospel. But yet they are under the sound
of the word. But no matter, they are captives
of Satan who, Scripture says, had blinded their eyes and hardened
their hearts lest the word take effect. And he removes it quickly. And perhaps some are listening
this morning who, immediately after this program is over, will
forget everything they heard because they are captives. They
are held captive by the prince of the power of the air. It says
that some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth,
but it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the
sun was up, it scorched, and because it had no root, it withered
away. Well, our Lord says in verse
16, these that are like the stony ground, when they hear the word,
they receive it with gladness immediately, but have no root
in themselves. And so endure, but for a time. Afterward, when affliction or
persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. All right. I've seen many of
these hearers, countless persons who hear the truth and have even
said to me, that's the greatest message I've ever heard. And
some even make professions, they receive it, it said. They hear
it, receive it immediately, very quickly, with gladness, because
they have no root in them, that is. And they endure for a time,
but when persecution and affliction arises, for the word's sake,
they wither away, they leave, they're offended. I've seen many
people that seem to be excited by what they're hearing, and
immediately and with enthusiasm receive it, But after a while,
when persecution and affliction by others concerning the truth
arises, they wilt away. They leave the truth. Well, it
is not excitement or enthusiasm that I look for, but humility
and brokenness and contrition, a heart that is touched by the
word, a heart that is made to feel its guilt, a heart that's
humbled before the Lord, not all this wildfire enthusiasm
that's going on that you see today. A stony ground here. is one who does not have much
earth, our Lord said, does not have the root in them, and they
hear it and receive it because Christ, who is, he said, divine,
the root of the matter. Christ is not in them by faith,
but they receive it, but when affliction and persecution for
the word arises, they are offended. What is this affliction and persecution
for the word? Well, our Lord said many things,
many things, and many said that they were hard things that he
said. Our Lord said things like this,
I am from above, you are from beneath. He said, no man cometh
unto the Father but by me. He said, I am the bread from
heaven. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man can come unto me, he said,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him." Many hard
things, things that people did not like. And those who hear
these things, it may receive them at first, yet when they
are confronted by others concerning the truth of God's sovereignty,
of God's sovereign electing grace. of Christ's particular redeeming
grace for his elect. They are afflicted and persecuted
by others. Others who say, well, no one
believes that. No one believes that. Why should
you? Well, they may answer, because it's written in God's Word. But
others argue, but that doesn't matter. No one else believes
this. No one I know believes this. How can you believe this?
And so they are persecuted for the truth's sake, for the Word's
sake. Many, our Lord said in Mark 7,
make void the Word of God for their tradition. They reject
the plain Word of God because their denomination or their relatives
or whoever doesn't believe it, or rather believes something
contrary. Well, they're offended and they leave. Well, it says
in verse And some fell among thorns. Thorns. In verse 18 and 19, he said,
these thorns are the cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches,
and the lust of other things. And it chokes the Word. Well,
Paul one time spoke of a man named Demas. He said, Demas hath
forsaken me, having loved this present world. Demas must have
got a better job. a new house or possessions, worldly
possessions, riches and so forth, and he left the gospel. He chose
these things over the Word. Well, but he, our Lord concludes
by saying, some fell on good ground, and it brought up fruit,
some thirtyfold, some sixty, some a hundred, and this good
ground is a heart prepared by the Spirit of God. No person
is good by nature. No heart is good in and of itself. But the Holy Spirit prepares
the heart to receive the Word, and the way in which he prepares
it is to break it. A broken heart, a broken and
a contrite heart, a heart that is broken over its own sinfulness
to receive the Word of God's sovereign grace. A good heart
is a heart that receives the Word, loves the Word, is touched
by the Word, that needs the Word, that heeds the Word, and is a
doer of the Word, and brings forth the fruit of faith, the
fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance, a love for the gospel, a love for God's
people. This is of the Lord. Well, which
type of hearer are you? Stony ground, thorny ground,
hearer, or has the Lord broken your heart to receive the Word?
I pray that you might be one of those broken-hearted hearers. Until next Sunday, good day.