Mark, chapter 4, verses 1 to 20, part two, focusing on 14 to 20

 

Mark 4:1 ¶  And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2  And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5  And some fell on stony ground, where it had not 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 fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8  And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9  And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10  And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13  And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 14  The sower soweth the word. 15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16  And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17  And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. 18  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19  And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20  And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.

The word of God is perfect and there is no lacking in it. Any failure is not due to the sower or the word.

Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

These are the people who are so argumentative they aren’t really interested in hearing God’s truth.

Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

A lot of lost people will get really interested in the hope that the gospel presents especially if their life has been trashed by sin.

Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

These people aren’t saved because they have no “root in themselves”.

Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Revelation 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

The root is Christ. These people don’t have the root and will not accept Christ. Their hearts are hard as rocks in reality in spite of their interest and initial enthusiasm. Herod is a type of this curious “seeker”.

Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

These people hear the word but get battered by worries, materialism and greed, sin and covetousness placed in front of them, but the word in them gets choked out of its fruitfulness. He doesn’t grow. He might be saved but he will stay a baby all of his life as a Christian. Demas is a type of this saved soul with no fruit.

2Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

It is very hard to get a rich man saved. It takes a lot of time to take care of money and it takes a lot of concern. The more stressful and busy your life is the harder it is to get you to bear fruit for Christ.

Mark 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

This is not for you to make a comparison with other people. But, if you are bearing fruit, and this isn’t about numbers in getting souls led to Christ. It’s not a sales job or a numbers game. Here’s some fruit that you will bear if you are a fruitbearing Christians and it’s not about how many people you got to say “1-2-3 repeat after me, I’m saved.” These people receive the word and bear fruit.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

My wife, Beth, corresponds the thirtyfold to the first three fruits of the Spirit which God gives to you when you are first saved. The sixty corresponds to the next three which are how He teaches you to deal with other people, and the last three correspond to the hundred in how you grow towards God.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

When you start bearing fruit, people will get saved. But, when you start bearing fruit, in order to get you to bear more, God will prune you. This might hurt. God took several things I liked very much away from me, not by any outside agent, but he took them out of my heart. He pruned me. There have been other things as well. But, what I have gotten in return has been much more precious.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.