The Gospel Seed
Mark 4:2-20
2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
The Power of the Seed
James 1:18, 21
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
1 Peter 1:23
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God
Organic vs. Mechanical Growth
Religion is mechanical.
The Gospel is organic.
Religion = “I obey; therefore God accepts me.”
Gospel = “I’m accepted; therefore I obey.”
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation…
The Working of the Seed
A seed releases its power by going in deep
The Gospel does not do something to you without you
Galatians 2:14
14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel
The Weakness of the Seed
Superficial faith is serving God for what you get
Authentic faith is serving God to get God
Jesus was the ultimate seed
Is the Gospel the foundation of your life and the controlling reality of your heart?