Mark 4:1-8

Objectives

• Students will ask themselves wha type of soil best describes their life today.
• Students will see to be good soil.

Introduction

Have you ever planted a garden? Gardening is a lot of work. In 2019 I wanted to plant a garden, it was more work than I thought it would be. First, I needed to create the garden area. To create the garden area I moved 2125 pounds of concrete, I then brought in several loads of dirt and compost. Why did I go through so much work? Because for a garden to grow you must have good soil, a good environment. If I take a seed and place it on a concrete block it will not grow into a vegetable.

The Word of God is a lot like a seed, in the right soil the Word grows and transforms a person, but if the soil is bad then all sorts of things can go wrong.

Main Body

• Jesus spent somewhere around 3 years teaching the people in the Roman provinces of Judea and Galilee about God, and the way in which God desires us to live. A key method Jesus used in teaching was that of a parable. A parable is a short story that illustrates a spiritual lesson. Jesus spoke in parables and explained those parables to his disciples.
• In verse 3 we have an improve or command "Listen". Jesus uses a present imperative second person command. Literally, he says "you all listen." Jesus is telling us to listen up, what He is about to say is important. You don't want to miss this message, this message can change your life!

Bad Soil

The Wayside (V. 4)

• The idea here is that the seed lands on hard-packed ground, perhaps a path or other trail. If you were to lay a bunch of seed on a packed road then no matter how much you watered you wouldn't expect the seed to grow. The seed will simply not get started.
• Scholars have debated how seed was planted in first-century Palestine. Some have argued that a farmer would scatter seed and then go over that scattered seed with a plow to burry it in the soil.
• Compare with Matthew 13:19 where we are told that people hear the Word, but fail to understand it resulting in the missing the opportunity to germinate.
• What does this mean for you today? If there is something you don't understand then you need to ask. We are talking about important information, if you have questions then you should ask.

Seekers need soften their hearts and set answers so the Word of God can penetrate and take root.

Stony Ground (V. 5-6)

• Some of the worst ground for growing a garden is ground in which there is only a thin layer of topsoil on top of solid rock. If you place a seed in this ground then it will germinate and begin to grow. However, there is not much room for the roots to penetrate into the ground. What on a hot sunny day? The topsoil dries out, the plant is unable to draw water from lower in the soil and the plan withers and dies. Let me take this just a little further.
• Someone might argue that the Sun has actually killed this plant through its scorching heat. In fact, this is sort-of correct. The Sun has scorched the plant, but the sun was actually necessary for growth. What has happened is that the sunlight that is a necessary component of growth has in fact destroyed the plan because the plant was not properly rooted in good soil. For a plant that is not rooted in good soil the very thing that should cause growth actually destroys.

• In Mark 4:16 and 17 we see that the seed that is sown on stony ground does sprout, but as soon as trouble comes it fades away.

Seekers must go deep, don't be content with a surface level  understanding of God, you must go deeper. 

Among Thorns (V. 7)

• I hate weeds. Every year I spend quite a bit of money on weed killer for my own lawn. In suburban America people take great pride in having dark green manicured lawns without a single blemish. We purchase chemicals and fertilizer all to achieve this goal of having a nice green lawn.
• In a garden there is always competition between the good plants and the weeds. You see, there are limited resources in the garden and everything is competing for access to these resources. You cannot have a lush vegetable surrounded by weeds, the weeds will take resources from the vegetable.

• Mark 4:18-19 tells us that there are some significant distractions that can choke the Word: cares of the world, riches, desires of the world. We like the garden have a limited number of resources. We don't have all the time in the world, all the wealth in the world, all the friends in the world. We are limited. How do you want to spend your resources?
• Note: The seduction of the world may not destroy the plant, but it will keep the plant from producing fruit and accomplishing its intended purpose.
• You must get rid of the cares of the world and instead focus on Christ.
• Ideally, you want your soil to be free of weeds, but just like a garden we often miss a small weed in the soil. The trick is that as soon as we see the weed we must pluck it out and keep it from competing.

Seekers must not lose their focus on their Savior.

Good Ground (V. 8)

• Mark 4:8 uses three ideas to describe the one represented by good soil and each of these can be contrasted with the conditions of the bad soil. In good soil we see a progression. The seed sprouts, grows, and produces. The analogue for us is that we must accept the Word, grow, and bear fruit. Let's take a minute to talk about the fruit. The text talks about the seed yielding thirty to sixty fold. The result of this crop yielding thirty to sixtyfold is an excellent harvest. It is ultimately only God that can bring the harvest and we should expect excellence in what He does.

Seekers should told and labor to receive, hear, and bear fruit from the Word of God.

Caring for Your Soil

• So what do you need to do? what does this mean for you? Let's dig into our own life and ask some hard questions.

Step 1

• Remember that the first step in any plant is germination.
• In Acts 2 Peter preached a compelling sermon in which he argued that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world. At the conclusion of his sermon the people asked the most important question they would ever ask.
  • Acts 2:37 "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'".
  • Peter responded Acts 2:38a "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent...'" (Note: Peter said more but we will get to that in another lesson)

Conclusion

Seekers must work to prepare and maintain good soil so the Word of God can be effective in their life.