The Sower (Part A)

You cannot have a nonchalant relationship with Christ be so so with him he's okay that's your response.

He's not your Lord what he will be your judge hearts got to be on fire even even on slow points when things are not good gives and he takes away.

It is a prerogative of God Almighty to give and to take away and it is up to us to go through this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the gospel of Mark chapter 4 with a new study called the solar welcome to the house of the Lord, and if you are listening or joining us online. We are in the gospel of Mark chapter 4 verses one through 2020 verses in under three minutes and again he began to teach by the sea, and a great multitude was gathered to him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and all multitude was on the land facing the sea.

Then he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his teaching. Listen. Behold, a sower went out to sow.

And it happened, as he so that some seed fell by the wayside, the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where he did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. When the sun was up it was scorched because it had no root it withered away some seed fell among the thorns thorns grew up and choked it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced some thirtyfold, some 60, some hundred and he said to them, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. But when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him about the parable and he said to them to you. It has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God but to those who are outside all things common parables so that seeing they may not receive and hearing they may not here not understand less, they should turn in their sins be forgiven them and he said to them, do you not understand this parable. How then will you understand all the parables.

Sower sows the word. These are the ones by the wayside, where the word is sown when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

These likewise are the one sown on stony ground, who, when they hear the word immediately receive it with gladness. They have no root in themselves, so endure only for a time afterward when tribulation or persecution arises for the word sake, immediately they stumble of these are the ones sown among thorns. They are the ones who hear the word, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things. Enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful, but these are the ones sown on good ground. Those who hear the word accepted and bear fruit some thirtyfold, some 60, and some 100. The sower that is the title of this message, the one that sends out the seed enough course. It is the hope of this pastor that as we consider this passage of Scripture we reacquaint ourselves with what is involved in sharing the word of God and what we face going back to this story in the previous chapter.

Jesus did not budge off of ministry because of family concerns that really were not justifiable concerns and having to put family interference in its place. He continues to do what he had come to do, among other things, and that is preach the word.

He goes Lakeside to continue to build up the people to give them things that they need desperately that the not heard before and they've never heard it coming from one such as him so looking at verse one again and again he began to teach by the sea, and a great multitude was gathered to him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea well at the lake behind him. It provided a natural amphitheater for him and the room acoustics being as remarkable as they worry needed no microphone everyone could hear him. This is something that when you go to Israel Bible teachers like to point out when you get to the lake of Galilee verse two. Then he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his teaching, and we pause there. Mark of course emphasizes the Lords emphasis on teaching because the alternative to not being taught is ignorance and ignorant Christians are delicacy for Satan in a tool in the hands of the world to attack Christ and so we have this opportunity in this country.

In many countries, where the word is plentiful but not all places on earth can just find the Bible at their fingertips. Do we avail ourselves of this blessing well. His parables sorta like the windowpanes you can go up to and you see a reflection you can see your reflection, you can see the reflection of others, and as you move closer you see beyond the reflections and you see actually into the on the inside and their gods. Vital truths are more visible what God has to say about himself and what God has to say about people clearly seen in the parables of the spirit be guiding you if you don't want to know what it's saying if you are resisting. Then you will not receive it.

What we discover about parables is that we don't judge parables. They judge us. They get very personal and interpretation of parables, all of them must be consistent with what the whole Bible is teaching and that will help us as to understand what Christ is saying here the Lord he intended that his listeners see themselves in the story and he's going to do this whenever he gives a parable that we see ourselves and in life and we begin to ask ourselves, who am I in the story Jesus, for example telling the story about the Pharisee who was very proud and self impressed with himself. I tithe I fast I do everything right on like this tax collector and then the tax collector. He mentioned, of course, was so ashamed of himself.

He would like couldn't even look up, and he just prayed Lord forgive me insulin in that little story you save yourself, who am I my the Pharisee or am I more like the tax collector, whom the Lord said went to his place justified blessed by God. You might say. And so we consider what role we play is a good or not.

It is not. What do we do to get it right and if it is good we praise the Lord and we work hard to protect that. So here we have this truth in story format. That's like an x-ray gets to see something that's on the inside. Another nice thing about parables is that they retain doctrine teachings for every age they don't fade here we have one concerning farmer so many people know nothing about a farmer they know about just throwing seed out some of the growing and some of it not drawing and so you get it speaks to everyone. Again we look at this we say. If I am if I'm in this parable in the word of God is falling on me how my responding to that word of God in my, my, the wayside pad beaten-down RMI you know the rocky soil that for a moment there I get it, and I'm happy with it. I begin to show life and then I wither away and die. My weed a patch of weeds and thorns word falls on me and I choke out the word because I've got other interest RMI the fertile soil is nothing wrong with the sea, and all of these, the seed is fine.

It's the soil it's the ground, which is metaphor for the heart, the human heart and so in this parable, whom I am I the devil plucks soul hardhearted, refusing to allow God's word in my just a shallow one under pressure. I just scorched and that's the end of life for me and in Christ, or is my faith choked out because I'm too occupied with things in this life to have any real interest in the next life or am I the recipient of God's word that 119th Psalm which is an ode to the word of God there in verse 140 the psalmist who I believe is David nobody writes like David, I mean if anybody else could write the 119th Psalm, we would have other Psalms by them. His name is not on it but his personality is all over your word is very pure. Therefore, your servant loves it.

You gotta love it.

You cannot have a nonchalant relationship with Christ. You cannot be so-so with him.

He's okay that's your response. He's not your Lord, but he will be your judge hearts got to be on fire even even London's it adds low points when things are not good.

He gives and he takes away. It is the prerogative of God Almighty to give and to take away and it is up to us to go through it but we love him. Nonetheless is a something very real about the presence of God in our lives.

Since others are missing out on this unbelievers can go through life they can face hardship loss, grief and pain they can face those things relatively courageously without Christ, we have to say I don't want them to outlive me.

I have the truth. I know where this is going for me. I don't suffer. Doesn't mean I do not weep as James said, you weep with those who weep and laugh with those who laugh. Your word is very pure.

Therefore, your servant loves it, and if you love God's word you live long enough, you're going to have to fight to continue to love God. The flesh world and just time and things in gunk will pile up on you and try to diminish the word I was in him. In this 119th Psalm in my own devotions I been there for nine years trying to finish it not been that long. But there is there is a section of that Psalm that just you know didn't minister too much to me.

In years gone by, but recently I stopped at it and it was just yes Lauren.

I just hope I can find it by memory.

Here it is. Remember the word to your servant upon which you have caused me to hope and then he says this is my comfort in my affliction for your word has given me life. The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from your law and going back to the 40 numbers. Remember the word to your servant upon which you have caused me to hope I hope so much had so much hope in God's word to do so much more in my life hadn't happened yet.

I still love his word. I still have the hope and I'll settle for what has happened. What can Satan do against much well Jesus, continuing here now after we finish here in verse two where it's being set up and he taught them many things by parables, and said to them, this is the teaching verse four. Listen. Behold, a sower went out to so the lesson is its emphatic is in a series. I want you I don't want you to miss this and then the behold look always the drama music that is given to what is about to be said. The background music initiative is on the sower. The sower is the one that creates the story we have a sovereign God and he is the one that initiates it's a familiar picture for his audience. Not so much for us but we know enough to be able to follow the story verse four and it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside and the birds of the air came and devoured it will find out. Verse 15 that the birds of the air are symbolic of Satan in this parable. Parable. Incidentally, Mark is not big on parables is parabolic illustrations. You know who puts new wine in old wineskin. That's parabolic illustration, but these are parables there whole stories and the only really has real foreign in his gospel, but they're all concerning farming bringing things to life. Will the ground again metaphorically as the heart. Now the wayside that still you know, people would all often make a trail through the farm fields. It was so big we can walk around them so people just cut through them and enough traffic you met down that section would be compacted. That would be the wayside. Sometime they were on the perimeter of the field where customer that drive out to the country and road right between two fields. Oftentimes one on the right one on the left is you last fall.

Nowadays they they just use their feet. So here is where the word lands on a compacted heart a hard heart.

Satan's going to snatch it away verse five. Some fell on stony ground, where he did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. When the sun was up it was scorched because it had no root in it because it had no root it withered away the stony soil is that you know the heart that's just shallow depths.

Everything is on the surface and that's it is nothing deep down, and as a result, nothing can get down deep where it needs to go to lay its foundation in this case is the the roots so that they can feed can't grow crop on rocky ground see germinates it shows that is fine.

Yet nothing more happens after that nothing good, nothing in the way of life. Still, the ground is not suitable without that depth cannot survive.

How true is that if you just have the word of God brush up against you if you happy with it just for an hour or so but after that whatever truths were given to you. They die because your shallow well my audience this morning I II would think that there are few, if any, who are shallow when it comes to the word blot we engage those outside of these walls we engage those who are shallow and it helps to be able to point that out because there are things that someone can do to change the inability to receive God's word and we are supposed to help with verse seven Jesus continues teaching. He says in some seed fell among thorns, thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. While the goals not achieved crop did not come from this part of the foreign field. Of course the thorns we hear thorns in Scripture and is the emblem of sin was back to the curse curses on the land takes plowing and planting in hot and hard work to produce it by the sweat of the brow.

Genesis 3 verse 17. This is of course at the fall of man into sin, free will, had to be tested may be again you younger Christians you have to be tested right now it's mom and dad's religion and Satan's going to come along and say, is it yours. Do you really love the Lord is he yours or not he's going to do that by bringing things your way that Christ condemns well. Genesis 317 is that this is the microcosm of what happened. What happens even now that Adam and then to Adam he said, God speaking to Adam because you have heeded the voice of your wife, pause their men.

I don't ever listen to my wife because it's biblical and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground for your sake and toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life will thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you force the crown of thorns placed upon that the brow of our Lord.

Emblematic of the sin and the curse fell upon him for us so in Scripture, emblems of pain are thorns because of sin is not random why do I hurt.

Why do people die. Why do people get sick sin. That's why it's too simple for some but the fact remains some affliction by Satan, be it physical, be it mental beauty, emotional sin.

Paul writing to the church current says unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations upon in the flesh was given to me, a messenger from Satan buffet me the site be exalted above measure. God has left in my life something to stabilize me and it hurts. That's what Paul was saying that born in the flesh. Sin was involved, not personal sin. I don't believe that was the case that Paul is talking about here. Not that he was sinless. I personally believes were always on moving on such topic. People are curious what you think it was and I believe that is it was his apostolic calling being rejected, being in oppositions by the Jews, the people he loved so much, they would listen to him they wouldn't except that he saw Christ and even the ones who had become the Judaizers the one who would claim Christ as Messiah, but still wanted to adhere to the law.

They hounded him they they troubled him to live with this stuff and it comes out in his writings, I believe he wanted to reach them so badly at all the evidence is all the proof and all the love and yet still they hounded him well. You may have a different view. What weeds can grow anywhere.

It seems though the crop cannot call fescue can grow anywhere while Chris can move anyway.

The thorns they suppress the crop. Sin suppresses the fruit robs it of its space and resources militant the thorny ground sin. It's militant, it is aggressive is dangerous. It will hurt you, it will stick you. Verse eight will pause there I remember Boot Camp being taught, what is most dangerous of wounds is a punctual that's why they encourage you not to get bayoneted verse eight.

But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced some 30. 60, and some 100. You study this so hard you want to hurry up and get to the points and the words are getting in the way.

Again, the ground metaphorically, the heart, the seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop it's responsive in its responsive to in various degrees and so we are patient with one another.

Some will have more fruit than others and that is not the first to brag or boast its us to rejoice in the Lord that this fruit at all because it's one in for if you go with, you know the ratio here. The good seed was fertile.

Not hard the soil. The ground not hard, not shallow, not crowded but hungry receptive and good soil finds Jesus to be true and also others to be false. That is part of the conversion experience I would question your conversion if you said I Jesus is troll was so is and you start naming other false gods, which is something that plagued Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus said it this way in John 10 most assuredly when he says that it's emphatic, I say to you, you does not enter by the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture so the others are thieves and robbers design that I am the door. I am the entrance way to eternal life to heaven the truth so you come to Christ is a Christ is true and others are false, they are not in agreement with him. Hard shallower we did heart would not receive this would receive it only for a moment. Verse nine and were going to get back to all of these incidentally because he's going to get back to them and he said to them, he who has an ear, let him hear. He felt they were smart enough soon be saying these things, he felt they could grab it, they could figure it out. They applied themselves if they open their hearts. We believe this to this day. Brow teens. I think you're smart enough to be in the sanctuary. I think that what is preached from this pulpit is good for you and that you're able to get enough of it all. You might not get all would you get enough. Especially if you left the jokes you learn that what would you rather say would you rather me say well you know dorm would limit the sanctuary for little dance, not at all. Not only do we think you're smart enough we know you love enough and you love big whether you get it or not you get it later. Sure, you want your pastor to push a little bit with truth from Scripture with love and you want to be blitzed by preaching. From time to time as your flesh needs to be smacked down. Where is she going to get it texting each other going to happen you come into the house of God, and you sit with us. We don't want you isolated away from us. We you can just acting like you love it you want you here with us want you to be on the wall with us. We want you to be in formation with us now and forever you got a work but a sweaty brow just like the rest of us.

You think life is hard wait you yet my age. We don't have to wait that long, so be honored that the God of heaven is put you in a place where you can receive the word. Now how's your heart going to respond to that. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. Verse 10, when he was alone, those around him. 12 asked him about the parable saying so back in teens. I'm not picking on you. I am rooting for you and fighting you as I know what that punk the devil wants to do to you and the only way to intercept him is to intercept him with truth in the spirit. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio you could search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Rocky on cross reference radio