Mark 4:1-8
Bad Weeds Kill Good Seeds
Tonight I believe we move into Mark’s fourth section.
Outline:
I. \\#Mark 1:1-15\\ Introduction
A. \\#1:1-8\\ Jesus Was Announced
B. \\#1:9-11\\ Jesus Was Authenticated
C. \\#1:12-13\\ Jesus Was Proven
D. \\#1:14-15\\ The Bridge
II. \\#Mark 1:16-2:28\\ Meet Jesus
A. \\#1:14-2:12\\ Jesus’ Authority
1. \\#1:16-20\\ Jesus Has Authority over Men
2. \\#1:21-22\\ Jesus Has Authority in Doctrine
3. \\#1:23-28\\ Jesus Has Authority over Demons
4. \\#1:29-39\\ Jesus Has Authority over Sickness
5. \\#1:40-45\\ Jesus Has Authority over Disease
6. \\#2:1-12\\ Jesus Has Authority over Sin
B. \\#2:13-28\\ Jesus Cares for Sinners
C. \\#2:13-28\\ Jesus Is Not Like Others
1. \\#2:13-17\\ He’s not like everyone else.
2. \\#2:18-22\\ He’s not like the disciples of John or the
Pharisees.
3. \\#23-28\\ He’s not like the Pharisees.
III. \\#Mark 3:1-35\\ Things Are Changing
A. \\#3:1-6\\ The Relationship Between Jesus and the Pharisees
B. \\#3:7-12\\ The Relationship Between Jesus and the People
C. \\#3:13-19\\ The Relationship Between Jesus and His Disciples
D. \\#3:22-30\\ The Relationship Between Jesus and the Scribes
E. \\#3:31-35\\ The Relationship Between Jesus and His Family
IV. \\#Mark 4:1-10:52\\ The Words and Power of Jesus
A. \\#4:1-20\\ Bad Weeds Kill Good Seeds
Mark made a fourth topic change in his writing at chapter 4. In my
opinion, Mark had been selecting events to emphasize truths about
Jesus. He wanted to show Jesus’ authority (from chapter 1 into
chapter 2), His uniqueness (the remainder of chapter 2), and most
recently, how things abruptly changed (chapter 3). To do this, Mark
skipped events that did not fit into his goals. Again, that is not
problem. Every gospel writer had to skip events in Jesus’ life.
However by skipping, Mark has moved us along in the life of Jesus. I
have made mention of the parallel passages of Mark 3 in Matthew
chapters 11 and 12. Mark 4 is the parallel passage to Matthew 13; and
following Matthew’s chronology, we are well into Jesus’ second year
of ministry That means Mark covered around a 1 1/2 years of Jesus’
ministry in just 3 chapters.
Beginning at chapter 4 on, Mark’s gospel will do what the other
gospel writers do, simply start writing about the miracles, the
lesson, a and the events as they occurred in the life of Jesus.
Some question the validity of Mark’s writing, saying he just copied
Matthew’s gospel. I don’t think so. I think they both just listened
to the same Holy Ghost. Regardless, Mark’s narrative will remain fast
paced; but he will paint for us a picture of what the everyday life
of Jesus was like.
Mark began this section with Jesus’ day of parables by the sea of
Galilee. Some refer to this parable as the soul winner’s parable.
That is all right, but let’s not limit it to those willing to go out
to knock on doors. Everyone who is concerned about the eternal well
being of others needs to know the truths of this chapter—everyone,
especially parents and grandparents.
I. Most will not receive the Word.
A. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
1. The earthly story is about a sower who sowed seed in
different kinds of soils.
2. The sower is a soul winner, the seed is the Word of God,
and the soil is the heart of the hearer.
B. I remember being in chapel and a speaker making the point that
he though this parable was teaching that no more than one in
four who are witnessed to will be saved.
C. I am not certain that is a valid teaching of the parable, but
it is for certain that you can talk to a lot of people about
accepting Christ as their Savior, and most will not.
Matt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for
wide is the gate, and broad [is] the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Luke 13:23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are
there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for
many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and
shall not be able.
II. Why most will not receive the Word.
A. \\#Mark 4:5\\ Some never take the time to understand the
importance of the soil.
Mark 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where
it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang
up, because it had no depth of earth:
1. Before a seed will produce fruit, the soil must be
prepared.
2. In winning people to Christ, this is not just the duty of
the soul winner but of each individual.
3. The soil in which we plant the gospel is the human heart.
a. Some people’s soil is too hard.
(1) That means some people’s hearts are too hard.
(2) We live in a world of hard-hearted people.
(3) There is an active movement in the world to
undermined the Word of God.
(a) I call this "anti-faith."
(b) People do not believe they need God, the
Bible, or His salvation—and these are the
people who believe the Bible is true!
(c) In addition to this, some believe in false
religions, false gods, and false gospels.
(4) Hard hearts require more time for the seed to
penetrate.
(5) The only things that will break a hard heart is
love, consistency living, and whatever time God
will give them.
b. Some people’s soil is too shallow.
(1) That means their character is too shallow.
(2) Jesus described some people as having no depth or
root.
(a) Obviously, if there is no depth for a seed,
the roots cannot grow.
(b) The root for a plant runs deep and gives it
stability.
(c) What is the root for a person? Their
character.
(d) Character, or the lack of it, runs deep and
either gives a person stability or fails
them.
(3) The picture is of someone who receives the seed
with great joy but does not have the character
to stay with it.
(a) I have seen so many like this.
(b) They come to church for a few services,
maybe a few months, then something more
exciting, more fun, more appealing comes
along, and off they go.
(c) Some are like boomerangs, every few years
they come back again.
i. Of course, we are always glad to see
them back.
ii. The problem is that they have not done
anything to fix their character
problem so it won’t be long before
they are gone again.
(4) How do these fix their problem? It depends on
their age, your relationship to them, and their
willingness to be helped.
(a) If they are young, parents need to teach
character.
i. Make no mistakes about it.
aa. Lack of character is a parenting
problem.
bb. The parents did not teach the
child what they needed to teach
them.
cc. I am not trying to be ugly but
helpful.
ii. Parents, give responsibilities and
demand they be kept.
iii. Love them but don’t coddle them.
iv. Teach them that life is not fair but
you do what is right no matter what.
(b) If they are grown, someone will have to try
to parent them.
i. While it is more difficult, I don’t
believe you are ever too old to
develop character.
ii. You will have to want character.
iii. And you will probably have to have
someone help you, to hold you
accountable, to make you do what you
need to do until you can do what you
are supposed to do whether you want
to do it or not.
(c) But the bottom line is they will have to
want to help themselves.
i. No one can help someone who does not
want it.
ii. Make a list of what you need to do,
start doing it, and keep doing it—
no excuses and no exceptions.
c. \\#Mark 4:7, 18-19\\ Some people’s soil is too
cluttered.
Mark 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded
no fruit.
(1) Whatever demon suggested to the devil that he
should keep people busy gave him a great idea.
(2) Until the pandemic, our world has come to the
place that it was in constant motion.
(a) Many businesses were operating 3 shifts per
day, seven days per week.
(b) Some cities were advertised as the city that
never sleeps.
(c) Televisions play 200 channels of
broadcasting 24 hours per day.
(d) Sports for all ages and all seasons have to
overlap one another to get them all in.
(3) We even came up with a term for it: the rat race.
(a) That is not a very flattering term, is it?
(b) But as insulting as it is, all of us were,
are, and will be pulled into it.
(4) Daniel prophesied this day:
Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the book, even to the time of the
end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge
shall be increased.
(5) Two things you should know:
(a) A heart cannot love God when it is filled
with other loves. There is nothing wrong
with some forms of entertainment, with some
sports, or with some hobbies; but when you
are living for something you cannot be
living for Jesus.
(b) No one can make a rat out of you but
yourself.
i. The reason a person becomes a rat in
the rat race is because of the bait,
money.
ii. Of course we have to have money but
if the only reason we are working is
for money, we have sold ourselves.
iii. You are going to spend most of your
life working a job.
iv. Make it a job you like, even it is for
less money.
B. \\#Mark 4:4,15\\ Some will never take the time to understand
the work of Satan.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side,
where the word is sown; but when they have heard,
Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the
word that was sown in their hearts.
1. Satan steals the seed before the seed can penetrate the
heart.
a. While the world is hardening the hearts of people to
faith, Satan is robbing the hearts of the very truth
they have heard.
b. Of course, Satan uses many tools to do that.
(1) He uses the world itself.
(a) There are so many things he can use to
divert out minds away from eternity.
(b) I believe that is one reason why God
commanded in the Old Testament and, I
believe, still desires in the New Testament
that we give God one day a week.
(c) Don’t use that day to entertain yourself or
catch up on projects.
(d) Just think on the Word of God and commune
with God.
(e) Someone says, I am going to get up a bit
early and study my Bible.
i. No. That is just adding something
else to an already too full day.
ii. Take something OUT of your life and put
God into your life.
iii. Weed your garden!
iv. You have so many weeds in your life
that the seed can’t reach the soil!
(f) Bad weeds kill good seeds.
(2) But Satan is also literally involved in keeping
people away from the Word of God.
(a) You can’t find it in the television
programming you watch, in the schools you
attend, or in the holidays you celebrate.
(b) In many cases, you can’t find the seed in
the churches you attend or the sermons in
which you listen.
2. What do we do?
a. We plant the seed, over and over again.
b. All of us in every walk of life and in every manner
we can.
c. Take some seed with you everywhere you go and keep
sprinkling it out.
Tonight, a three-fold invitation:
1. If you are lost, will you be saved?
2. If you are saved but not right with Christ, will you
rededicate yourself to the Savior who loves you so much?
3. If you are not actively telling others about Jesus, will you
begin?
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