Message from Scripture: 9/9/2020

Our message from Scripture today is Mark 4:3; “ Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: ‘Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.’”

Most of us are familiar with the parables of Jesus, especially this one, the parable of the soils, or the parable of the sower. Jesus spoke of four different kinds of soil that is sown with the same seed. Some soil was hard, other rocky, other thorny, other good. In reality, Jesus is speaking about four kinds of hearts in which people filter the message of the gospel when it is proclaimed. The kind of heart they have determines how they hear and how they respond. What do we learn from this parable?

We learn God’s word is the seed (Mark 4:14). Only the pure word of God can bring about the harvest God desires. Anything else will not change one’s heart and bring salvation.

We learn each of the soils is different (Mark 4:5, 7-8). Every human heart is different, which explains why some are receptive and others not. Only a heart prepared to receive the truth of the gospel will be able to know it as truth and be set free from sin.

We learn, of the four types of soil, that only one produces a godly harvest. Satan works to deceive us (Mark 4:15), and keep our hearts captive to sin. We must be diligent to hear and believe what the word tells us.

When the seed is sown, and good hearts receive it, Christ is glorified in providing eternal life through His shed blood, and those who obey find that eternal life. In this parable, Jesus tells us the gospel produces fruit, Satan is at work to keep it from bearing fruit, and we will blessed, and Christ honored, if we bear fruit. Is the seed, God’s word, able to work in your life, by your willingness to truly hear, and believe, and obey? God bless.

Robert