Training Ground
Good Soil
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Welcome
Call to Worship
We have the great privilege to gather together and enter into worship of the King of Kings, who is also our Lord and Savior, who desires to be our closest friend and Wonderful Counselor.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.—Revelation 3:20
We are here physically and that is so wonderful. Let open the door to our hearts this morning. Let us receive His invitation and draw near so our spirits can be ministered to. This is where the blessing and joy are found!
Praise Songs
Intro: Let’s see who is awake this morning. I have a question:
What has to be broken before you use it? – An egg.
Just seeing if you’re paying attention yet. Want to try a few more for fun? Let’s get that brain working.
I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I? – a candle
What has a head, a tail, but no body? – a coin
A little harder-
The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? -footsteps
What can travel around the world while staying in the same spot? – a stamp
What are all these questions I have been tasking your brains with today? Riddles. Who here enjoys a good riddle?
Why do people share riddles? What is the purpose? Other than to frustrate some. They can be entertaining-they engage our curiosity and challenge our intellect. They can help develop our critical thinking skills. They can also pass down cultural knowledge through generations.
I must admit I am not as clever at figuring out riddles as my boys are. I often need some other help to see the answer. I enjoy thinking about what it could mean though and I’m grateful for help in seeing the meaning.
I’m guessing Jesus is a big lover of riddles and watching us eagerly shout out the answers or even wrestle with the questions trying to think of what it might be. Afterall, one of Jesus’ favorite ways to teach is by method of parables. Though they aren’t exactly like a riddle they do share similarities.
A parable is an idea shared to set a spiritual truth alongside a truth we know in our daily living.
But in order to come to the right understanding of the parable and teaching, we must understand the key. If we don’t have that correct, our processing will be off and guide us towards the wrong results. Who is the giver of this key? Jesus-Always Jesus. As we’ll see in today’s message, only certain people received proper understanding of His teaching though many were told. We can’t unlock divine truths in our finite reasoning, they must come from God. We won’t discover the mysteries of God in our own searching; they will be kept hidden from us until we earnestly seek to know Him. To those who seek Him, He reveals the deep and hidden things the rest of the world can’t see or understand. I have been in both places, the hearing and not understanding or receiving, and the earnestly seeking and receiving MUCH. I will say I am so grateful to be in a place of constantly receiving from the well of life. It is exciting!
We are moving on from the book of Hebrews and we’re entering a new series called Training Ground. In this series we’ll be looking at the teachings of Jesus, our Lord, Master, and Teacher, and know all that is shared is for our training; the training of our faith, so we might run the race marked out for us and persevere to the end.
It all begins in preparing our hearts; everything flows from the condition of our hearts. We’re going to read through a parable Jesus shared with the crowd. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear this morning.
I encourage you to take notice of what Jesus is doing, what the disciples are doing, and who Jesus gave the key to.
Mark 4: 1-12 NIV
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
So let’s understand the key to this parable. It’s not really about farming this is a spiritual truth laid alongside a truth in theirs and our daily living that of farming and what is required for an abundant harvest to spring forth.
Without the right key only given to us by God through Christ- we might think this is teaching farmers about how to get better gains in their crops, or a seed salesman how to increase his sales and help these farmers out, or a politician in how to better reach that group of voters-the farmers. All would be seeking the key in their own understanding and missing the intention of the teaching. Let’s make sure we have the proper key as we discuss this.
The Farmer is Jesus. The Seed is the Word of God. The Soil is the listener’s heart.
Jesus is scattering the seed all around the world sharing the Gospel to all corners of the earth through you and me and all other Christians. The message is for everyone. Not all will receive it or be able to let it grow.
Let’s continue reading in Mark to see what Jesus shared with the disciples who asked Him about this parable. It’s all about being aware of the condition of our heart when we hear the Word.
- Tend Your Soil (Heart).
Notice not everyone sought Him out to find out the meaning, nor did Jesus ensure everyone had the proper meaning. He spoke to all in hearing, but He only shared more in-depth with those who sought Him out.
I am encouraged that even the disciples needed help in getting to the answers, just like I do. The truth is we all need help in discerning the things of God, because we’re not God. But sometimes our heart and the condition of it gets in the way of our ability to receive that help to properly understand. Let’s look at some examples of how that happens.
Mark 4:15 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
This is the hard path that is on the edge, nothing really penetrates, it just sits on top.
Think of a bird swooping down and snatching up whatever was lying on that path and carrying it off. As I read this it reminded me a time the boys were at Mud Lake with the dogs and Jon saw a bald eagle circling in the air above them and then he realized that eagle was circling above little Sophie who was prancing about completely unsuspecting she was about to get swooped up and carried off. Jon picked her up and kept her close by while the birds were near.
I share often one of my favorite verses is from John 10:10- the thief comes to seek, kill and destroy. This is exactly what Jesus is talking about. The enemy doesn’t want us to know or understand the Word of God for in it there is power, freedom, and life! The tail end of that Scripture is why I love it because Jesus affirms, “I have come so they may have life abundant in me!” You see this is one of those hidden treasures not everyone knows about or understands how to access unless you seek Him. Jesus will gladly show us then what this means when we do!
Jesus continues to explain the other types of soil the seed might land on.
Mark 4: 16-17 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Notice the hearers receive it with joy and say yes I like this! I want this! But their heart is like a thin layer of topsoil, so it can’t receive the Word deep to allow roots to take hold. When people like this face trials and tribulation, they are quick to give up. They throw in the towel when it gets difficult. They have no depth within them to hold on to faith and persevere. The Word is something that sounds good but doesn’t become an anchor for them to cling to.
Great preacher and teacher, Charles Spurgeon said, “the religion born of mere excitement will die when the excitement is over.”
Mark 4: 18-19 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
How many of you love weeds in your gardens? Man can they grow right? Talk about persistent! They can quickly take over if we don’t stay on top of them. So it is with those who allow worries or the desires of this world or even issues of our world to consume their hearts. These things begin to choke out the truth and power of God’s Word. Where is the fruit? It can’t grow among all the thorns crowding in their hearts.
Tend to the weeds and thorns in your heart choking out the Word of God. Make room for His Word to grow.
Finally, Jesus shares what is needed in Mark 4:20 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
These are hearers whose hearts are receptive and allow the seed planted to grow and produce abundant fruit in their lives.
Hear this today- The difference is never the seed. It is the kind of soil it falls on.
Let us tend the soil of our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 NASB Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
- Earnestly Seek to Learn.
After Jesus finished speaking the parable He said this
Mark 4:9 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Based on the condition of the soil, not all would hear to receive it, or changed by it. It’s the same today. I share a message every week, video devotionals throughout most weeks, one on one counseling all sowing God’s seed. Not everyone truly hears. Not everyone receives it in their heart. Yet I continue to sow seeds.
But to those who heard and received, what was their response? They wanted to know more, and in that seeking, Jesus gave them divine understanding.
Mark 4: 10-11 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
In our seeking and truly desiring to know more, God reveals the secrets to His Kingdom. He rewards those who persist and ask sincere questions to understand by revealing hidden treasures others can’t see or understand.
Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
I do this also. For those who earnestly seek I give my time and share what God has made known to me. I invite you to know the secrets revealed to me. I am eager to do this, but only for those who want it.
Let us be seekers of His Truth and trust He will surely show us. We will learn as much as we want to learn.
- Sow God’s Seed.
As we look to Jesus, we are to model what He shows us. He is a sower of God’s seed. He calls us to do the same. He offers it to all, not assuming who is qualified, worthy, or willing. He scatters it about knowing it will fall on all types of soil.
Mark 4: 4-5 . 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
Sometimes the seed will fall on the path, the rocky soil, and among thorns. So it is yet today. Other times it will fall upon good soil.
Mark 4:8 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
And look at what that seed in good soil produces.
We won’t know the condition of the soil, nor should we be judging the condition of the soil before we sow. We are not the ones to save others-that is not our place; that belongs solely to Jesus. We are to follow Him, sow the seed, and trust God with the results.
The Apostle Paul gives us right understanding of our call as disciples of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
Sow the seeds. Pray then for God to protect the seeds, for the Word to be remembered, and for God to water it; pray for a strong root to take hold and truths to be sealed deep in one’s heart. Pray for God to change hearts for we can’t do that but He can and does. Let us not be shaken in our faith when others fall away-remember the condition of the soil determines how deep the seed takes hold. Pray for our own roots to grow deeper and to persevere as sowers of seeds of faith. This is our training ground. This is our calling as Christians.
Conclusion: The differing results were not based on the seed, but the kind of soil the seed fell on. Ensure His Word is falling on good soil. Pray for God to seal and grow that seed planted in your heart and others. Be sowers of the seed, and trust God with the results.
Let’s pray.
Communion:
How wonderful it is to know and receive the gift of salvation. We only know the value in Jesus’ sacrifice because God has given us the gift of faith to believe. Salvation is a free gift offered to all, but not all will receive it. For those of us who have, let us give thanks this morning. Let us pause and remember with humble gratitude and worship what our Savior did for us; what He took in our place and what He gave to us instead.
Luke 22: 19-20 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Let’s pray
Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering:
Prayer:
Final Song
Final Blessing: Ephesians 3: 17-19 May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
God bless you and keep you in His perfect peace as you keep your gaze on Him.
