Theme:
Tilling the Garden of Our Heart
Focus Scripture(s):
Mark 4: 3-20 (NKJV)
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Purpose of Parables
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 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 come in parables, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
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 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. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
Job 1:7 (NKJV)
James 4:7 (NKJV)
1 Peter 5:9 (NKJV)
Jeremiah 4:3 (NKJV)
Hosea 10:12 (NKJV)
James 3:2 (NKJV)
Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV)
Luke 21:34 (NKJV)
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Proverbs 23:4 (NKJV)
Overview:
The garden of our heart must be broken up and tilled in order to plant God's word. The parable of the Sower and the Seeds is a parable for how in order to yield fruit, we must resist the devil and focus on the Lord. The devil wants to snatch the Word from us. We can also be distracted from serving God by the cares of this world and our desires, but let us have the mindset to follow Jesus no matter what it takes. Let us be rooted in the Word. There is hope.