We're turning to Mark chapter 4 and we're looking at this parable called the parable of the sower. Now it's a parable that perhaps is one of the more familiar parables that Jesus spoke and it's recorded not just here in Mark but in the other gospels as well. And this parable is a little bit different to other parables because this parable also has an explanation that Jesus particularly gave to his disciples. Some of the parables were spoken and then it was left and there was no particular inference given as to what they were to mean, but rather this parable also has an explanation as to what Jesus has been saying. So the opening verses of this chapter indicate that there was a large crowd who had gathered to hear Jesus. The crowd is so large that Jesus gets into a boat, pulls away from the shore a little bit so that he could address them from the crowd. The boat became a pulpit. Now I don't know whether you've ever wondered why we have a pulpit in churches, why we have a pulpit here, why we have the minister stood up on a platform. For one main reason, it is so that people can hear and people can see and you can see that the Word of God is being read and the Word of God is being preached from. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is using the boat that he is in to give space so that people will be able to hear him, people will be able to see him, and that he won't be crushed in the crowd moving toward him and ending up in the water. So we have Jesus in quite an innovative pulpit. But whilst he's in the boat, he begins to teach the people. He's giving doctrine, teaching, and he's speaking about many things. Verse two, he taught the many things by parables and said unto them, in his doctrine or in his teaching, hearken or listen, behold there went out a sower to sow. Now within this crowd of people, there were different types of people. There were those who wanted to hear, there were his disciples. They were there, they wanted to be taught, they wanted to be instructed, and so they came eager to hear. There were others who were there because they were curious. There's a large crowd, I'll go and see what's happening, I'll go and see what's going on, and they go because they are a little bit nosy, they're curious, so they go, and they go and listen to Jesus like that. There may be others and there were others who went and they weren't there to learn but they were looking and ready to pounce on anything that they didn't think was right or didn't think was appropriate and in particular you find the Pharisees and the scribes fitted that description. They weren't there to learn, they were there to catch him out. There were others who had heard reports, no doubt. They had heard that Jesus had fed thousands, he had healed many different types of people, and so there were some who were looking and expecting to see some tremendous phenomenon, some miracle. And yet, when Jesus sees this crowd, he's not there to entertain them, he's not there necessarily to give them what they think they want, but he's going to teach them the Word of God. Right at the beginning of Mark's Gospel, Jesus has been healing many people, and his disciples come unto him and say, everybody's looking for you, everybody wants you to come and help, there's lots of people to heal, and Jesus actually said, it's not my purpose to come and heal, but to preach the kingdom of heaven. And so the Lord Jesus Christ sees these people and their most important thing is not to witness a miracle, however wonderful that would be, it's not to see people being healed, although that would be quite remarkable, their great need was to have the Word of God brought to them and to have their souls taught. Why are you here this morning? That might sound a bit rude, that might sound a little bit unwelcoming, I don't mean it to be like that, but just imagine, just evaluate your own heart, why are we here? Perhaps you've been brought, you've got no choice, you've been told you've got to come. Well, we're glad that you're able to be here and we're pleased to see you. We pray that you would understand what we're thinking about and it wouldn't be a duty or a hardship you just have to endure but that you would actually discover something remarkable. Perhaps you're here because you think, well I need to do my bit, I need to tick off a few more boxes on my checklist of good living and if I have enough everything will be okay. Well I trust that you see that the Christian life is more than just tick boxing, in fact it's got nothing to do with tick boxing, it's about having a relationship with God. Perhaps you're here and you think to yourself, I shouldn't be here, I don't feel good enough to be here. Well a church isn't a place where good people come, it's a place where sinners come. You don't go to a hospital because you're well, you go to a hospital because you're sick, and the gospel and the church is a little bit like that, it's there to bring healing and blessing to those who are in need. Perhaps you've come because you need to meet with God and you want to hear about him. Well, I trust that as we consider God's word this morning, that we will have this as a result in our hearts. So Jesus often used parables, picture languages to emphasise and to explain different spiritual truths. And these were like illustrations to help the hearers to understand. But before we get into the parable itself, just note verse 11 and verse 12. This is what Jesus says. He said, unto 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, seeing they may see and not perceive, hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? In Isaiah chapter 6, after Isaiah receives the amazing vision of God on his throne, Isaiah volunteers, is compelled to stand up and say he will serve the Lord, and he's given a message to take to the children of Israel. And this is really, in summary, what Jesus is saying here. The message Isaiah had was you're to go to a people, and you're to tell them things they're not going to understand, you're to tell them things they're not going to listen, and you're to tell them things that they don't want to receive. And one of the features of God's punishment and God's judgment is that when He's told people various things, when He's encouraged them to return and to repent, if they don't, the most serious judgment God can bring upon a person or upon a nation is that the Lord Himself will harden their hearts. You look at Romans chapter 1, you have a description of what happens when a nation turns its back upon God, when people say we don't want God, we're going to do things our own way. After a while, the judgment of God will come and they'll be left in their ignorance, they'll be left with hard hearts. In Pharaoh's time, he had opportunity to repent. He had opportunity to hear what God had to say. And you find that he did, at times, repent of what was happening and gave permission for the children of Israel to return, only to renege upon that decision. But as you read later on, in all the plagues that came upon Egypt, you see that Pharaoh's heart had been hardened by God. It was a judgment upon them. And so as Jesus is preaching and teaching using parables, there are many there that were thinking, what's this got to do with religion? What's this got to do with coming to God? And they weren't really interested in discovering or understanding, and as a result they were left in their ignorance, they didn't want to know. There are others who did want to know, and as these truths were being explained, they could see the realities of what was being spoken about. Well, as we find here in this passage, in verse 9, Jesus said to them, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And as we come to this parable, may we have ears to hear what this message is all about. So we have in this parable, in verses 1 to 8, the parable, you then have in verses 10 down to verse 13, a discussion with his disciples as to what these things meant, and then in verses 14 down to 20, we have Jesus bringing an explanation or a commentary on what had been described in the parable. So you have a parable, you have a parable of the sower who goes out to sow, and then you have a description of four types of ground that that seed is sown on. Well, the sower here, when you look at verse 14, is somebody who sows the word. In the context of this passage here, Mark 4, that was being done by Jesus. Jesus is being shown to be the sower. He had come to preach the kingdom of God, he'd come to bring the things of God into the hearing of those that were before him, and so he is preaching to the people. And as he is preaching, he is bringing a message that is of eternal value and benefit. Mentioned it before, but on one occasion in John's gospel, the disciples are asked by Jesus, after many had deserted him and abandoned him, he said, are you going to go as well? And the reply the disciples gave to Jesus was that he alone had the words of eternal life. So as this word is preached, it will have an impact dependent upon the ground on which that seed falls. Now we live in quite a rural part of the world and round about the springtime you'll see the tractors going out and they'll be drilling the holes to put the seed in and then you'll see the way which the farm will come a bit later and will fertilize and to make sure that there's no bugs or parasites going to destroy the crops and it's all very mechanical. But when you have the sower here, the sower would have a big bag of seed to his side, he would get into, put his hand into his bag, pull out a handful of seed and then as he walked along his field he would scatter, he would sow the seed. like this and as he did this the seed would fall. Now hopefully the seed would fall onto good ground but inevitably it would fall on all types of ground wherever the seed had been cast. But the sower spreads liberally and widely Now as we think about the preaching of the gospel, as we think about the Word of God going out, we don't go out and we look at people and think, now are you a good ground or are you a stony ground or are you a hard ground? I don't like the look of you so I'm not going to tell you about the Lord Jesus. No, the preacher goes out and he calls upon all that are in his hearing to hear what God has to say. And as that word falls upon the heart of those that pass by, you will then see what kind of heart, what kind of reception that will bring. So in verse four, and then in verse 15, you have the description of the waste ground. And this ground is a picture of a man or a woman's heart before God. Not the muscle that's beating in our chest, but the way in which we receive the Word of God, the way in which we respond to God, our spiritual centre, if you like. And so it falls upon waste ground. Now, if ever you walk along a side of a field, and there's a path, you can find that it's quite hard and as you walk along it's almost like concrete, it's so rigid and firm. That ground has been well trodden, it's probably been baked by the sun, it's a place for walking but not a place for planting. and it's not a place where you would plan to have arable crops. This ground is so hard the seed doesn't get into it, the water often doesn't penetrate it and on this ground a few seeds will fall. Now, that seed won't get down into the ground, it won't be watered, but instead, as the sower is sowing his seed, the birds of the air, they'll come and they'll pluck up the seed and gobble it up before anyone else can get there. And that's the barren wasteland, the hard, stony, rocky ground. In verse 15, you have what this means. hard ground. These are they by the wayside where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. No sooner have you heard the word It's gone, it's been removed, it's disappeared. We were in the open air on Thursday, we were preaching and people would have heard what was being said but it was suddenly gone, evaporated, dissipated, never to be seen again. They carry on with no thought to what has been taking place or perhaps what they have heard. Well, a heart that is hardened toward God is a very serious matter. That word is easily and quickly snatched by the devil, and there is no desire to ponder, to consider, or to think upon what has been said. That word has gone in one ear and straight through out the other side. There could be somebody here this morning, there could be somebody listening on the live stream today, who that describes where they are at. They may be involved in religious duties, but in terms of the Word of God being preached, it makes no impact upon them whatsoever. I could be reading out a utility bill, I could be reading out something from a newspaper for the amount of interest that that would give. Well, how important it is when the word of God is being read or preached that we remember that this is the word from God himself. How can such an individual be helped? Well, it requires a work of God in their heart. We need the Spirit of God to come and to prepare that ground and to make sure that that ground is ready to receive that word. And all of us would have hearts naturally that are like the waste ground, that hard, stony edge of a field. And yet we pray that the Spirit of God would come. Do you pray that as you gather for worship that the Lord's Spirit would be at work in your hearts and in the hearts of others that gather with you and enliven the preaching of God's servants as well. So this particular ground is not going to produce any plants, it's not going to produce any fruit. If this is a condition that your heart is likened to, then you are not a Christian. You may be a nice person as far as you're concerned, but you are not a Christian. In verses five and six, we have a picture of the stony ground. And then that is explained in verses 16 and 17. When I was growing up I used to go to my granddad's house and he had quite a large vegetable plot and we'd have to go every so often and clear out weeds and one of the things we'd also have to do is to get rid of stones. I don't know if you realise this but if you have a garden, if you try to grow vegetables or anything like that, Stones seem to have the ability to grow and to multiply. You take them out one year and you come back and you find that they're back there the next year. They seem to get everywhere. And you rake it along and you pull back the soil and you find it's all full of stone and rock. Now if you were to leave the stones in place and then to plant your seed or if the sower in our parable was going out and there was quite a rocky patch and a stony patch then you may see that when the seed is sown after a little while there's starting to be green shoots and you think oh that's good we're going to get a good crop from this. The seed has germinated, it begins to grow, and in fact it does seem to grow much better and even much quicker than other plants round about. But it doesn't last long because after a while, when the sun begins to shine, that plant that has shown a little bit of promise starts to not look quite so healthy, it's starting to look a little bit withered and the reason for that is that because of the stones in the ground the roots can't get down and access all of the water and the growth that should have been going downward has been directed upwards, and no real lasting results will be seen. And eventually that little plant, although it promised a lot, doesn't bring forth any fruit. So what is the parallel? Well, in verses 16 and 17, we have the words of Jesus. These are they, likewise, which are sown on stony ground, who, when they have received or have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness and have no root in themselves, and so endureth but for a time, and afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth, for the word's sake immediately they are offended. There are those that you may encounter, perhaps you may be like this yourself, who receive the word really enthusiastically, oh this is the best thing that I have heard. The number of times I have been told that the preaching that they have heard from this place, whether it's from myself or somebody else, oh that's the best thing, wish more people could hear it, the likelihood is you will never see that person ever again. They're very enthusiastic and yet they find themselves being very quickly rejecting of what they have heard. I met a man and he showed great promise, he wanted to be baptised, he wanted to join the church and within 24 hours we never saw him again. We find that there can be people who are very enthusiastic when they hear the words But because it doesn't have any roots, because it doesn't get down into the ground, it is easily affected when troubles or difficulties or problems arise. Does this describe your heart this morning? Very keen to hear, very keen to receive, but when trouble comes, you leave it and forget all about it. The third type of ground is a little bit similar. It's described in verse 7 and then explained in verses 18 and 19. Now if I was to ask the young people here this morning what is a farmer's or what is a gardener's greatest enemy, I would suspect that you'd probably answer weeds. you have a garden then you're going to get weeds. You have to make a lot of effort to get your plants to grow but you don't have to put any effort whatsoever into planting and cultivating weeds. they will always come, they will always grow. There's no effort required and before long your plant or your shrub, if it's not had its weeds removed from around it, it will begin to suffer and it will begin to be strangulated by other plants that are vying for the nutrients in the ground, the water in the ground or the sunlight from the sky. Why do we have weeds? Well, if you look at Genesis chapter 3, verses 17 to 19, you see that the ground had been cursed. Thorns and thistles would rise up, and as a result, for people to work and for people to get their bread and to get the things they need to live and to be sustained, life would be hard. Life would be difficult. And so in our parable, the sower has scattered, but as the seed has fallen, there are weeds that are in the surface that are growing as well. And like the stony ground, that plant will often shoot up very quickly, and it will put down its roots because it's ground where weeds are as well. But you find that as the plant is growing, it begins to be strangulated by the things that are around. What's the parallel with this, verse 18 and verse 19? And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the words. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering, and choke the words, and it becomes unfruitful. Does this describe you this morning? you hear the word, perhaps you've received it, perhaps you are pleased with what you are hearing, it's doing you good. And then there are other things that are more important to you. Doesn't mean that those things aren't necessarily legitimate, but those things become all-consuming. They take your time, they rob you of your energy, they take your attention, they divert where your heart ought to be, and you are overwhelmed and entangled by the things that pertain to the world. We have in verse 19 a description, the cares of this world. Are the cares of this world more important to you than the Word of God having an access and being fruitful in your lives? all of us will face the cares of the world. That may be concern about family, that may be concern about work, that may be concern about our country, that may be concern about the things that we're engaged with, spiralling economic crisis, whatever it may be, those things can ensnare and entangle that plant that is growing. You also have the deceitfulness of riches. One of the things with riches and treasures and possessions of this world is the idea that we need more, but when you get more you discover that you still need more. There's a deceitfulness about the things of this world, they promise but don't deliver. They give us an anticipation of being happy and satisfied, but the reality is much, much different. You have the deceitfulness of riches. You also have the lusts or the loves of other things entering in, choking the words, and it becomes unfruitful. Well, this is a type of ground. Although that seed produced promise, started to grow, started to show him hope and anticipation, before fruit is yielded, that plant has died and gone. So, so far it's been quite a depressing scene for the farmer here, for the sower. He sowed his seeds, some has fallen on stony ground, it's been taken by the birds of the air, some has fallen on stony ground, it started to grow and then it's died away. Other seed has fallen upon the thorny or the weedy ground and again it showed promise but then has been choked and overwhelmed. What about this final ground, verse 8, and explained in verse 20? This ground has been selected, this ground has been prepared, and it is ready to receive the necessary things. The ground has been prepared in that the rocks and the stones have been taken out, it has not been filled with weeds, and this seed falls into the soil It germinates and then it begins to grow and as it grows the farmer will ensure that the weeds are removed and taken care of and that plant not only grows but is healthy and eventually will bring forth fruit. If you have an apple tree in your garden, you hope and expect that you'll get apples from that apple tree. If you have a rhubarb patch in your garden, you expect to have rhubarb from it. If you plant and you take a lot of care on your vegetable patch, you don't get anything from it, then you have a problem. The whole point of growing things is to enjoy them and to get the fruit from it. So you have here the parallel given in verse 20 of this type of ground. These are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Note the link between these words. There is a hearing of the word, There is the receiving of the Word, and then there is the bringing forth of fruit. There's evidence, if you like, there's evidence of that work of God taking place. So if you look at it in terms of salvation, if somebody is a genuine believer, there will be evidence of salvation in them. There will be a change in their heart and in their attitudes. As they have come to the Word of God, the Word has an effect upon him. You have the Apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians and he tells them that the Word must have an outcome in their lives. The person who is known for their stealing should steal no more. There should be a demonstration that that Word has had an impact. And as the seed is growing here, it is being watered by the Word, it's being helped and germinated by the power of God, and eventually it will produce fruit. Every true Christian, every true child of God will produce fruit. Perhaps that fruit is not as much as in some believers to other believers, but in all believers, fruit will be seen. God willing, next Sunday evening, we'll be beginning to look at the fruit of the Spirit that's described in Galatians chapter 5 and verses 22 and 23. And as a bit of a sneak preview, in that passage, that is not different types of fruit that Christians bring, but Christians must bring that fruit as a description of all of them. And what are the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And in the true child of God, that fruit is to be seen, and will be evident in their life. Not as much as perhaps they would like, not as perhaps much as there ought to be, but there should be love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. As believers, we will feel cold-hearted at times, We won't be as fruitful as we ought to be, or at all times as we should. We will know what it is to experience the entanglement of the world by the weeds that grow up. It seems so alluring and tempting, but we need to have that work of God working in us to produce that fruit in us. When we think about the life that we have in Christ, It's an ongoing work. The farmer, he doesn't just sow his seeds, puts his feet up and then waits for the harvest three or four months later. He's out there, tending to his crops, making sure everything is as it should be, seeing the weeds, dealing with them, making sure that all the environment is as good as he can make it. praying to God that the rain would come so that there is rain in due season and praying that it will be dry enough to bring the crops in when it is right to do so. There is an ongoing work until the harvest is brought in and for the child of God there is a work that must take place mortifying the deeds of the old flesh continually coming to Lord for help, seeking his mercy, seeking his guidance, seeking his leading in all things, dealing with sin, turning our back upon sin, having those besetting sins dealt with. And then in the end, fruit will be seen. As we went through the book of Hebrews, you have some concerning chapters that deal with those people who seem to be Christians, seem to make a good profession of faith, they seem to be credible in what they've said, and eventually they turn their back upon the Lord. Looking at Mark 4, it would seem that they fall into the camp of the stony ground or the weedy ground. Something has taken their attention, something has affected them so they don't produce fruit. And ultimately, although they promised much, the results were seen in the end of not producing fruit to God. May we all have souls today, hearts that are good, good ground, hearts prepared by the Spirit of God. And as his word is preached here, as you read it yourself, as you hear it in other places, may the word of God produce fruit in all of our lives. Amen.