Parable of the Soul

Back to Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4. The title of this message, Parable of the Sower. Parable of the Sower. Now back in chapter 3 and verse 20, our Lord was speaking to a multitude. so much so that they he he couldn't even eat him and the disciples the multitude was so great they couldn't even eat and his mother mary they says his mother and brothers they came and interrupted the service and the lord made it clear who his mother brothers and sisters were he said they that do the will of god are my mother my brothers and my sisters And then we come to chapter four, this is the same day over in Matthew, you know, I went and read, as I told you last time or last week, I believe it was, go and read these in the different gospels as they're given, because one will give a little more light than the other will. And it's written in Matthew and it's written in Luke. Matthew says, this is the same day.

Our Lord was no loiterer. If you'll read, well, as we go through this, we'll see in this chapter all that he says and all that he does, and this is all in the same day. Our Lord never, he was no loiterer. He was always about his father's business. Eating, satisfying the flesh was the last thing on his mind. That was the last thing on his mind. HE SAID IN ONE PLACE, MY MEAT IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME. THAT IS WHAT CONSUMED HIM. HE SAID THAT'S MY MEAT, THAT'S MY FOOD, IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME. NOW OUR LORD IN THIS PARABLE HE IDENTIFIES THE PEOPLE IN THIS MULTITUDE THAT FOLLOW HIM. THEY WERE FOLLOWING HIM, THEY WANTED TO LISTEN TO HIM.

SOME HAD SEEN MIRACLES AND THEY HAD JUST A GREAT MULTITUDE had assembled to hear Him and our Lord identifies them to His disciples who later will become apostles and will be sent out to preach. And He's going to identify that there are four types of hearers that you're going to preach to. There are four types. And these types you'll find in every congregation to some degree. You might find one or two of them, you might find all of them in the same congregation. But there's always four types of hearers when the gospel is preached.

Now what is a parable? Our Lord speaks to them in parables. And they ask Him, they said, why do you speak in parables? A parable is an earthly story that conveys spiritual truth. It conveys spiritual truth. Now the focus in this parable is on different types of soil where the seed is sown. The seed and the sower are the same. And all four applications of hearers, the seed and the sower are the same. They don't change, it's the soil that changes.

Now in verse 10, the disciples ask him about the parable. And as I said, in Matthew, they ask him why he spoke in parables. And in verse 11, we're going to see God's sovereignty throughout this parable. HE SAID TO THEM, UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, BUT UNTO THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT. ALL THESE THINGS ARE DONE IN PARABLES. THE GOSPEL IS A MYSTERY. THE GOSPEL IS A MYSTERY.

EVERYTHING ABOUT GOD, MAN, CHRIST, REDEMPTION, is a mystery to man. If God does not give you an understanding, if He does not reveal to you Himself the gospel, the truth, you'll never understand it. You'll get it wrong every time. Every time you'll get it wrong.

1 Timothy 3, 16, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received, received up into glory. God was received up into glory. Jesus Christ is God in human flesh.

But unless God gives you and me eyes to see, ears to hear, unless He gives us an understanding, we will never really know that. We'll never really know it. You know, Paul spoke of marriage. He spoke of the man and the woman, how they become one. And he says in Ephesians 5 32, this is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church. Marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of Christ and the church. That's what marriage pictures. That's why marriage is It's so sacred, it pictures Christ in the church.

But this salvation, this that is a mystery, comes to us by revelation. He says, it's given to you. Do you understand the gospel? I know there's some of you here who understand the gospel. You understand who God is. You understand how God can be a just God and a Savior.

Most people don't care about that. You get out to the local jail, they don't care about God being a just God or a Savior. I tell you what, they don't care about the law being honored. They don't care how you get them out. They don't care if you lie, cheat, or whatever you do, as long as you get them out. As long as they get out of jail, they don't care how it's done.

But that's not so with those of you whom God saves. You care that God can be a just God, that God can remain God, and a Savior. I want God to be a just God, don't you? I want someone I can trust forever, but also wanting to be a Savior. And I know how He can do that. Through the blood and righteousness of His Son, God can save a wretch like me.

I honestly, and you, some of you, you honestly understand that. You understand that mystery. It's not a mystery to you no more. It's not a mystery no more. It's given to you. God has just given this to you. It's a gift. It's a gift. Like eternal life is a gift. It's not something you earn, it's something God gives you. It's not something you accept, it's something God gives you. He didn't ask you if you'll accept Him as your personal Savior, He GIVES YOU LIFE! ETERNAL LIFE! HE GIVES IT TO YOU! It's given to you to understand the mystery of the gospel.

1 John 5.20, AND WE KNOW! And that's one of the statements, when you read 1 John, one of the things, one of the statements you'll keep reading, AND YOU KNOW, AND WE KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, AND WE KNOW, WE KNOW! and we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life." Eternal life is a person, it's not how long you're going to live, it's the quality of life, it's the life of God in you, that's eternal life. And Jesus Christ is eternal life. This is the true God, Jesus Christ and eternal life. If you have Him, you have eternal life. If you don't, you don't have eternal life. You're going to live eternally? Everyone that comes into this world is going to live forever. Either you're going to be with the Lord or you're going to be in hell. It's just one or the other.

Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 1, 15-16. And remember, this is given to you, it's revealed to you. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. He doesn't say to me, in me. That revelation comes from within. Christ in you, the hope of glory, and he revealed, Paul said, he revealed himself in me. It's given to you to know savingly the mystery of the gospel. You understand who God is. He's not who you imagine Him to be, God is who He is. Not who we think He is, and He reveals Himself to us as He is. As He is. And until God reveals Himself, you and I will imagine Him to be what He is not. You know what that is? like ourselves.

He said in Psalm, I believe it's Psalm 50, you thought I was altogether like you, you think I'm like you. But now your spiritual ignorance has been removed. Listen to Jeremiah, in Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 23 and 24, listen to this. Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and he knoweth me."

He understandeth who I am, he knows me, he knows who I am. That I am the LORD, capital L-O-R-D, Jehovah, the self-existing one. WHICH EXERCISE LOVING-KINDNESS, JUDGEMENT, RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE EARTH. FOR IN THESE THINGS I DELIGHT, SAITH THE LORD." There's another scripture where the Lord says, He delighteth not in the legs of a man. He doesn't delight in the things we delight in, the things of this world. Our games? He doesn't delight in our games we play. He delights in loving-kindness, judgment, righteousness. That's what our Lord delights in. It's given to you by grace, by the Holy Spirit, by revelation to believe the gospel. Turn over to 1 Corinthians. Turn over to 1 Corinthians. First Corinthians chapter two. Now he says here in verse, in verse, let me read short of verse six.

HOW BE IT WE SPEAK WISDOM AMONG THEM THAT ARE PERFECT, YET NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD, NOR THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD THAT COME TO NOT. WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY, THAT'S THE GOSPEL, EVEN THE HIDDEN WISDOM, WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD UNTO OUR GLORY, WHICH NONE OF THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD KNEW, FOR HAD THEY KNOWN IT, HAD THEY BELIEVED HIM, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY. But as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, but God hath revealed them unto us. God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit, by the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God. The world doesn't understand, but you do. They've been revealed to us. They've been given to us. We know.

But he says in verse 11, But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. All those who are outside the kingdom of God. Israel at that time thought they were in the kingdom of God and everyone else was outside. I want you to look at verse 12, this speaks of God's sovereignty and God's judgment on the Jews at that time and even to this day, even to this day they're blind, they're blind They hate Jesus Christ as much as they did back then, except now they make money off of Him.

You can go over there and take tours now, but it's a good tourist attraction. But they don't like Him. And they're still blind. They're still waiting for the Messiah to come. He's already come. He's already come and went back to glory. Now He's coming again.

But He said, but unto them that are without, These things are done in parables. Look in verse 12, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them. So that's a difficult verse when you first read that. Now listen, if you don't understand the gospel, that verse, you're going to say, that just don't sound right. How many people cry unfair here of election? They say, that's unfair.

No, it's not. You don't want God anyway. God didn't choose, nobody'd be saved. Nobody. Turn over to Matthew. I want you to read this in Matthew's take on it. In Matthew chapter 13. I want to take my time this morning. I put together so much material then I start trying to rush through it. I don't want to rush through this. Look in verse 13, this is the same parable.

He said, Therefore, in 13.13, Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. and in them is fulfilled the prophecy. See a prophecy is fulfilled here of Isaiah which says, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. God spoke and they didn't want to hear God. He spoke, and he spoke, and they would not hear. They stopped their ears, and their eyes, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes, what's it say?

They have closed. Let me show you something. I don't want to see it. Well, look. No, I don't want to see it. They didn't want to see. It's like, don't tell me the truth. THEIR EYES THEY'VE CLOSED, LEST AT ANY TIME THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS, AND SHOULD BE CONVERTED, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM." THEY DIDN'T WANT THAT! GOD SPOKE THE TRUTH TO THEM SO MANY TIMES, THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED TO THEM SO MANY TIMES IN TYPES AND PICTURES, AND THEY SHUT THEIR EYES AND SAID, I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS.

This is how I believe. Doesn't matter what the Bible says, this is how I believe. In fact, I know a man that said, was talking to a man about the gospel, and then we got to talk about election, and he said, well, read the Bible. He said, I don't need to read the Bible. I don't need, really? You don't need to read, what do you need? Where do you get what you believe? Where do you get it from?

It better be the Bible. But blessed are your eyes, they see, and your ears they hear. God has given you eyes to see and ears to hear. There's one thing I have learned over the years. What God does is right whether I understand it or not. And God can do no wrong. God can do no wrong. So I may not understand it, and it may sound a little hard to me, but I do understand this. I understand who He is. I understand He can do no wrong. I understand what He's doing is right. And I'm gonna leave it there. I'm gonna leave it there. God does not owe salvation to anyone. Let me tell you, the cross The cross of Christ, Christ crucified, is not a rescue attempt on the human race. That is not what that is.

That is the redemption of a multitude of sinners which no man can number that God chose that you're not going to perish, just like the elect angels. God did not let all the angels fall. The ones that did not fall, they are called the elect angels. God chose them to keep their first estate. That's God's business. That's God's business.

What He does, He said, My thoughts are higher than your thoughts and My ways are higher than your ways. We can't think on that level. If we could see things from where God sits, we would see them differently. I like what Scott Richardson said. He said, When I, I believe what Scott said this, he said, when I stand in glory and I can look at my life and I stand in glory, I wouldn't change a thing. Now, you know, right now, every time we look back, we say, I wish I'd have done this differently, or I would do this differently, or I wouldn't have done that. When you stand in glory, you wouldn't change a thing. Because God lets you do what you do to bring you to where you are. God doesn't owe salvation to anyone, but He has chosen to save a multitude of sinners and bring them into His Kingdom.

You see, you take the field. I grew up on a farm. I ain't even got to the message yet. But you take the field that's a sower's sowing. Well, on the outside of that field, you have the trodden path where everybody walks around that field. Then you have thorns that grow up, and you have the stones and rocks that's been thrown out of the field, that line that field. But that field has been prepared to receive the seed. And our Lord is saying that in this multitude, there's some good ground, but there's also these other types of soil that I'm getting ready to deal with here.

Now verse 13, they asked him why he spoke in parables. He said to them, know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? If you cannot understand the simplest parable, how can you understand any parable? He's saying this parable right here is kindergarten. This is kindergarten. There was a book written by somebody several years ago that said everything I ever learned, I learned in kindergarten.

Respect so on and our Lord is saying this is if you can't understand the simplest of a parable you I'm about to tell you some more than You'll never understand him, but the sower here. He says in verse 14 the sower soweth the word the sower here Obviously is Christ But it's also his preachers He uses men to preach the gospel that his word. I'm preaching the Word of God and But now the SOWER will be the Lord Jesus Christ, will be the Holy Spirit that will sow it in the heart. But the SEED here is the Word of God, the GOSPEL, this is the GOSPEL.

And it's POWERFUL! This Word is POWERFUL! It's not like any other Word! John 6, 63, It's the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh prophesieth, the WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT AND THEY ARE LIFE. WHAT I'M TELLING YOU, THE WORDS I'M TELLING YOU ARE SPIRIT AND ARE LIFE. IT'S NOT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER WORD SPOKEN OR ANY OTHER BOOK, IT'S DIFFERENT. THE WORD IS THE WORD OF LIFE, TRUTH. IT'S THE WORD OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. IT'S THE WORD OF GOD.

Now we come to the wayside hearer, the first hearer. And these are they by the wayside, this is the first one, 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 wayside hearer. Over in Luke it says they were trodden. There's a path that goes around the field that everybody walks, it's a hardened path. The seed doesn't take root at all. And the fowls come down, he says, and picks it up.

The wayside hearer, he's the one who did not come to hear the gospel on purpose. How many people have I preached to? This room has been full several times at funerals. They didn't come to hear me preach. They came to show respect to the family of the one that passed away. They did not come to hear me preach. They come in here and I preach the gospel. I preach the gospel at every funeral. But they're sitting there and they're like, they have no interest in what I had to say at all.

And Satan, it says, Satan comes immediately. See, these are the wastes out here, they've been trodden down, life has hardened them. Life and sin will harden, it will harden you. He hears the gospel in word only. And when they've heard, Satan comes immediately, quickly, and takes away the word that's sown in the heart.

Satan takes the word that he has heard, and he takes it away by Distraction something distracts him or you know, he gets his mind his mind is on something else and he pays no attention What was said and the word is gone? It had no effect on him whatsoever It's gone they hear but they don't hear I Can tell you how many times I've heard Vicki talking to me, but I didn't hear what she's saying And I say, huh, what'd you say? I mean, it sounded like a commercial to our house anymore. I hear her, but I don't hear her.

Satan is always at work. He doesn't want to lose his prey. It says in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3 and 4, but if our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost. in whom the God, little G, of this world hath blinded the mind of them which believe not. Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." He's always at work, always.

And then we come to the stony ground here, and these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground. You have that along the field. who when they have heard the word immediately receive it with gladness. They like what you said. They like hearing about going to heaven. They like hearing about eternal bliss. They like that. They like to hear about all my sins are forgiven and I can go to heaven. Stony ground here, this is one receives the word with gladness. They like what they heard. However, there's no death in the soil. You ever see a plant grow on top of a rock where there's a little bit of soil?

But it never grows big. It never grows big. It never produces fruit. Never. Underneath the soil is nothing but a hard rock, a hard heart. A hard heart. When a farmer sows a field, he clears it of stones for the very reason the seed cannot find good soil. THIS ONE HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS, BUT THERE IS NO CONVICTION OF SIN. THERE IS NO HEART WORK. IT NEVER PENETRATES INTO THE HEART. IT'S A STONY HEART. IT'S NOT THAT HEART OF FLESH THAT GOD SAID, I'LL GIVE. I'LL TAKE AWAY YOUR STONY HEART AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH. IT NEVER PENETRATES. IT NEVER PENETRATES.

HE LIKES THE SOUND BUT DOESN'T HEAR THE MESSAGE. He doesn't hear it. It says in verse 17, They have no root in themselves, no root in their hearts, only in their emotions. It's an emotional response. It's just an emotional response. That's all it is.

And so endure for a time, some longer than others. And afterward, afterward, When affliction or persecution arises for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. When trials come because of the Word they profess to believe, they are offended. They did not sign up for the trial part, they signed up for the going to heaven part. But you know who they're offended at? God. I can't believe He let this happen to me. I can't believe this is happening to me. If I were God's son, would He do this to me? They're fending at God.

John Bunyan called them Mr. Temporary and Mr. Turnback. That's what John Bunyan called them in his Pilgrim's Progress. And then we come to the thorny ground hearer. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word." You know, they all hear the word, because the seed is the word, and they're in this multitude that the Lord is speaking to.

They hear the word, but their minds go somewhere else. Our Lord reveals three great enemies of the gospel And the problem with this type of hearer, it says, and the cares of this world. A lot of cares in this world, isn't there? Family, our jobs, all the distressing cares of the world. I thought of that song, Cats in the Cradle, by the Silverspun. sung by Harry Chafin. You ever hear that song?

I don't have time, son. And then later on his son doesn't have time for him. One of the most famous lines is, I don't have time. I don't have time. People always plan to do so someday. I plan on coming and hearing the gospel someday. I plan on giving more attention to it some day. But who said you had some day? Remember Felix, whom Paul preached? He said, Go and in a more convenient season I'll call you. We don't ever read of a more convenient season.

And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering Everybody wants to be rich. Yes, you do. Everybody wants to be rich. At one time or another, everybody wants to be rich. They believe they can handle riches, or at least they'd like to try. I'd like to try and see if I can handle them anyway. But the Scriptures teach us that riches are deceitful. They make you believe you're somebody.

The rich speak roughly, the scripture says, but the poor retreat. They think they're more intelligent, more diligent than anyone else, forgetting that God said, I make rich and I make poor. The rich man that went to hell, he found that out. The first thing he found out is God's the one who made him rich and now he's poor in hell.

AND THE LUST OF OTHER THINGS ENTERING IN. THAT'S AN EXTENSIVE LIST, THE LUST OF OTHER THINGS. LUST ENTERS IN AND TAKES OVER. ONE THING ABOUT RICHES IS THEY ENABLE YOU TO FULFILL THE LUST OF YOUR FLESH MORE EASILY, MORE EASILY. The lust of the mind, the flesh, the eyes grow stronger with riches. They do, they grow stronger. You can afford them. The toys get bigger.

And the rich think they're untouchable. And the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things, it says, choke the word and it becometh unfruitful. It doesn't say that, I noticed this this morning as I was going over this, it doesn't say they just leave. It's just that the first thing they'll do in the morning, it won't be pick up the Word of God, it'll be pick up the paper and see what the stock market's doing. That's what they'll do. And instead of listening, their mind is on their riches. You know the scripture says, the rich man's riches will not let him sleep. It won't let him sleep. It says it chokes the word, it becomes unfruitful, it suffocates the word.

Like weeds in a garden choke the plants and they become unfruitful. Weeds will take over a garden. You have to constantly weed a garden if you want to have fruit. You have to constantly weed it. Weeds require no cultivation, do they? They just grow. You didn't even plant them there, but they're there. But now we come to the good ground.

And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth some bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Good ground made that way by the grace of God." That's how the ground was made good. It's made that way by the grace of God.

It's the work of God in you. It's the giving of a new heart. It's made good ground by the Holy Spirit using the preaching of the Word of God, bringing it to you in power. The Holy Spirit removes the hardened soil, He removes the stones, the weeds, the cares of this world, and He does so through conviction, truth, spiritual life, trials, He does it. He works on you from the inside. He makes you good ground to receive the Gospel, which is Christ.

And this good ground is cultivated and sown by Him. The other ground was just bystanders. God's Word has a purpose. He said, My Word will not return void. God's going to send His Word, He's going to save sinners. But there are going to be other people sitting in the congregation that they'll hear the same Word and it'll have a different effect on them. but the ones to whom it's sown in the heart.

It's sown in that good ground. Here's the evidence that it took root. It brings forth fruit. It brings forth fruit. It says here, first of all, they receive the Word. They receive the Word, they hold it fast, and they always abide by the Word of God. They count it more important than their daily food. How important do you count the Word of God?

Job 23.12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Job said, God's Word is more necessary than my daily food.

And it brings forth fruit. Now I'm going to close. Some thirty-fold, some sixty, some a hundred. All bring forth good fruit. OF THE SAME QUALITY, BUT NOT THE SAME QUANTITY. A FRUITLESS HEART IS A DEAD HEART. WHERE THE SEED OF THE WORD OF GOD IS PLANTED, IN GOOD GROUND IT BEARS FRUIT. WHAT FRUIT? THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. LOVE, JOY, PEACE, KINDNESS, LONG-SUFFERING, THAT'S THE FRUIT IT BEARS. If it's not there, it doesn't bear this fruit.

I pray that God, by His sovereign grace, make us good ground. Because I wasn't any different. We're not any different than the other ground until God works on us and makes us good ground in Christ. Where the seed of His Word takes root, and bears fruit and brings glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. I know this. Every one of us here is one of these type of hearers. Every one of us. We're one of them. There's only four. That covers every human being will ever hear the gospel. It's one of those four. I pray God THAT HE BY HIS GRACE MAKE US GOOD GROUND.

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