Mark Chapter 4 Verses 1- 3

• Cool scene here…what Jesus does is absolutely beyond the science of His time. Science? Yes, science. Um, Matt…He’s sitting in a boat…what’s scientific about that? Just this…first, understand there were probably thousands there. So the house church wasn’t really going to work if He wanted to teach them all…so He takes the party to the beach…
• But still, once He arrives, how on earth is He going to set up the pews! HA! I mean Chin does a great job with our chairs but this would have driven even him crazy! And so Jesus puts off a bit in a boat out onto the water. Situationally and scientifically brilliant! Why? Because, not only could everyone see Him…but by doing this, everyone could also hear Him! It’s called sound refraction...
• Ready for a little song? He blinded me with science! HA…here it is…Since the temperature of the water in a lake or ocean is usually cooler than the normal air temperature (duh), the air just above the water level is cooled by the water. And this change in temperature varies according to the distance from the surface of the water. Typically the closer to the water, the cooler the air. This would result in different speeds of the sound waves based on their position above the water. The closer to the surface, the slower the speed…Boring!
• I’m just getting started! Plato, Socrates? Morons! HA. Look, these gradients of speed would result in a lens effect due to refraction of sound. That means sound would tend to focus and thus increase its apparent loudness. BOOM! Jesus was using His own creation to amplify! BRILLIANT! Awesome! How did He know how to do that? Durrrr, He created it all in the first place! What wonderful proof right!?
• And He begins His teaching with the statement, “a sower went out to sow.” Ok, that is s-o-w not s-e-w and so He’s not talking about crafting a nice blouse but rather planting as in a field. And this is perfect for this crowd! These people were basically, fundamentally, primarily an agrarian society. No King Soopers, no Safeway…Loaf n’ Jug…what an odd name…can you image? “And He went up thither, to the Loaf n’ Jug!” HA! And so you see, Jesus is talking to them about farming, sowing seed, which would be quite familiar to them…

Mark Chapter 4 Verses 4 – 9

• So up until now Jesus has taught plainly. Straight forward. Where we find ourselves here in Mark Chapter 4 coincides with Matthew Chapter 13 and Luke Chapter 8. In Matthew, prior to Chapter 13 we see Jesus teaching very straight forwardly. The Sermon on the Mount…blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peace makers…the spirituality of the Ten Commandments…that the location of the sin is not the finger tips or the thing but rather the heart…murder takes place in the heart, adultery takes place in the heart and therefore the act of the sin is simply the manifestation, the revealing of the fact that sin is the very state of the person…thus the need not for religion, doesn’t fix anything…but rather a Savior…
• He taught them plainly to love your enemies, go the second mile, do good, find the narrow path and get about it! He taught them plainly that in Him is true rest, peace and power…but now something changes…and He begins to speak in parables. No doubt Peter, James, John, Matthew…no doubt they were pleased with the crowd that had gathered…so much so that He had to teach from a boat…and His teachings…so very powerful…
• Just look at the response…look at this crowd! And now, parables??? Jesus You’re gonna mess it all up! You’re going to turn people off! You’re going to…gasp…offend someone! I wonder what was the response to this sermon? It lasted only a minute or two! And with such a set up! Can’t teach in the house anymore so the crowd, the entire crowd follows Him to the beach and waits as He finds a small boat and then rows out a bit, drops anchor…sits down…I mean what we’ve heard thus far…this is gonna be good!
• Then, seven sentences and one word later…it’s over? Jesus rows back in…and apparently the crowd was like, “huh?” And many dispersed. We find Jesus alone shortly after…

Mark Chapter 4 Verse 10

• Mark’s so nice, “they asked Him about the parable.” Matthew tells us how they asked… According to Matthew Chapter 13 they said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And according to Luke Chapter 8, they also asked Him, “and by the way, what? (what does it mean?)”

Mark Chapter 4 Verses 11 – 12

• Is Jesus playing favorites? I mean it almost seems that way, right? Maybe you feel that way sometimes. That someone understands more, knows more, see’s more…because they are little miss goodie two shoes…do you know Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes’ real name by the way…from the 1765 story? Margery Meanwell! HA! My how times have changed right? That story book…that Saturday morning cartoon would fall flat on its face today wouldn’t it!? Now the societal appetite is Patrick Star, Spiderman and Lego Warriors! They would eat Margery Meanwell for lunch!
• But I digress…maybe you’ve felt this sort of envious disdain for someone before…like they’re “getting” more than you are. And maybe that frustration has even made it to your prayer life…does this verse set verify your complaint against God? Why does she get more than me? Why does he understand more than I do…why can’t I “get it?” It almost seems like Jesus is saying I choose My favorites…the only problem with that? The Bible.
• The Bible is clear…God has no favorites. No pope. No priest, no pastor, no personality is more to Him than any other. The Bible is clear. He loves each and every person the same. Fully, eternally, fervently. Romans 2:11, “There is no partiality with God.” Acts 10:34, “God shows no partiality!” James Chapter 2 Verses 8 and 9, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin…” So the matter is settled. God cannot sin!
• But what then does this mean? “To you it has been given but others have been left outside?” Look, Jesus is not saying that He is hiding, again that would utterly contradict other scriptures…Jeremiah 29:12, 1 Chronicles 28:9 both say, “if you come after Me, you’ll find Me!” Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you…”
• So no hiding going on here, no favoritism going on here. What Jesus is saying is that when God judges…He will be fair. Parables are used to attract attention, to liven it up…to illustrate truth, even or specifically when one will not listen to direct teaching. He’s not saying that He’s using parables to shut their ears, He saying that He’s using parables because their ears are shut…
• Many in this crowd, in our crowd, in this day and in our day have closed their hearts and minds and so parables are needed to maybe make them change. Make them hear…break through the cranium crust, the coronary crust man…Folks, maybe you this morning, came to church out of constraint. Friends have constrained you to come…family members and maybe right now you’re sitting there listening…but not actually hearing…why?
• Because you’re looking for something to disagree with and then you can say, “I’ll never go back there again.” You’re not hearing because you don’t want to hear man…that’s just it, plain and simple. Wanna hear, you will. And the mystery will be unfolded…to you the kingdom of God will be freely given…sins will wash off of you and love, security, acceptance will flood in…And so this statement that seems so harsh, so confusing…is basically a perfect picture of God’s desperate love for each one of us individually…
• So the parable has been given…and Jesus Himself gives the meaning…Let’s take a look…

Mark Chapter 4 Verse 13

• So how interesting…right before He goes into it He says to them…you gotta get this one homies…if not then you won’t get the others…why? Because this one addresses the Word of God…the decoder. The answer. The guide…you want to know God’s heart, you want to know wisdom, you want to know how to navigate this life with power, purpose and presence…to get to life and then lead others to life…right here…this one. You gotta start here…

Mark Chapter 4 Verses 14 – 20

• Let’s break this down briefly to better understand. The first speaks of those who are just simply not open to the Word…They’re chilling with the birds man…a type of what in the Bible? Satan and his demons…yup. And so they don’t care, not open to hear and to investigate, even believers that are hard-hearted man…the seed doesn’t even make it into the soil of their hearts…so the Word of God goes forth and the hater of their soul swoops down to pluck out the seed…
• The second doesn’t speak of hard hearts but rather shallow hearts. The Word is received gladly…folks get pumped but then when emotions arouse…the day is hard…the person is difficult to deal with maybe that they…live with…boom, they deny the Lord. The word in the Greek actually implies torture man…The Word sown in their heart begins to torture their flesh and they can’t take it…Immediately they stumble.
• The third is probably the most prevalent in our culture…where one serves their flesh but also tries to serve the Lord…not too long and they will choke out…no fruit. No love. They’ve become prideful…unloving, unkind, unpatient, unserving…ungodly…Not a hard heart, not a shallow heart…a crowded heart…and therefore a clouded heart. The result, an anemic awareness of sin, powerless prayer and a suffocated spirit…  
• Finally, the last example…good soil. Not hard, not shallow, not crowded…just simple…willing to yield…wanting to serve…those who will hear…will apply consistently and will produce fruit. Love man. Period. That’s the fruit.
• Now, ready for some chilling statistics? According to Jesus’ parable and explanation given some 2000 years ago, 100% of people will hear the Word of God. 75% of people will receive it and only 25% of people will go and do something about it. And within those 25%, a very small portion will explode with love. Check this out…
• Polls taken in April 2013 and Sept 2012. 78% of Americans claim to be Christian…however, 57% of Americans, roughly two thirds of the 78% read their Bibles only 4 times per year. Only 26% of Americans that claim to be Christians read their Bibles regularly and only 19% read their Bible every day…Check this out…according to a study done by Oxford University, only 27% of Christians tithe! 25% give nothing! That is so precisely in-line with what Jesus taught, is it not!!
• 0.00009% give their life for Jesus each year…It is precisely as Jesus taught…the staggering part of it all…3 out of 4 people will buy the bumper stickers, rock the T-shirts, join a church, serve in ministry even…but 2 out of those 3 will deny Him with their lives…as their emotions rage and they serve themselves…they won’t even find time to get into His Word and spend time in prayer…only 1 out of that 3 will bear the fruit to feed the other 2. Is that not sobering? They will make their daily decisions and pattern their lifestyle after the Word of God…because they know it (they’re reading it)…and will actually bear fruit…
• Where are you at in all of this? You’re here. You’re counted…but where are you at? Where do you want to be? Something wonderful to leave you with this morning.
• Normally, a crop brings forth eight times the seed sown. So thirty-to-one is absolutely incredible! Sixty-to-one, categorically astronomical. One hundred-to-one…something completely “else.” Completely other…unstoppable…Where are you? If this morning you will allow the Word in…the potential for miraculous fruit is in your life…don’t hold back. It hurts, it’s hard, following Jesus is actually humanly impossible…but yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him lead…a hundred fold…we need it man…only 3 out of 4 will receive the Word…and only 1 out of 4 will be willing to be their brother’s keepr…by His grace and His love and His Word, I’m going for it…He saved me from hopelessness. He pulled me from an eternal horrific horrendous murderous grave…I’m responding…how about you? You gotta get this one first…miss this one…miss the rest…let’s start here, today, together…