The Seed Growing in Secret

3/5/2000

Context of Mark 4

In the context, Jesus has told the parable of the seed and the sower (Mar 4:1-20). He followed that parable by saying that a candle is not lit and then put under a bushel (Mar 4:21-22). When we get on fire, we should not hide ourselves, but rather become more visible so we can give light. He said again, If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Take heed what ye hear. What we hear can and will put our fire out. If we listen to the wrong people, our fire will be effected. He said measure what you hear. If we will hear well, we will hear more. He says, For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, form him shall be taken even that which he hath. If we hear well we will hear more and if we hear poorly what we have heard we will lose.MAR 4:25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

MAR 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

MAR 4:27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

MAR 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

MAR 4:29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

GEN 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Have you ever wonder something like, "I have all this kingdom information and I am learning to apply it to my life, and I would really like to share it with some people? My problem is I don't know how to do it and if I could share it, I don't think it would do any good."? Today's lesson will give you some answers.

So is the kingdom of God . . .

Then the Lord said, So is the kingdom of God . . . We are given a kingdom parable or a story about how the kingdom of God operates. The Lord spoke in parables to the people. We have noted in other studies as to why he did this.

(A) A parable is a story using common everyday objects that teach the kingdom of God. The Lord saw the kingdom in everything. He saw the kingdom in trees, grass, barns, fields, mountains, fish nests, pearls, leaven, buried treasure, everything. (1) The objects used were close and relevant because his kingdom was at hand and relevant. (2) The Lord never used objects from another planet, or heaven, or from things thousands of years down the road. That was because his kingdom is. So is the kingdom of God . . .

seed

begins with a seed -power in seed, but . . .

Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a person planting seed in the ground. Jesus was the seed (Gal 3:16). He came as the seed of Abraham and he planted the seed into the soil (souls) of his disciples. It all begins with a seed. There must be a seed. It does not matter how fertile the ground is nor how well it is prepared. If I want to grow corn, I must plant a seed. The power is in the seed, but if the seed is not in the ground it will never produce. The purpose is to get the seed into the soil.

If I want to minister into the lives of people, I must come to the place that I perceive that I must begin with planting a seed. Seedtime will always come before harvest time. If the man desires a harvest, he must first have seedtime. Unless the seed is placed into the ground, there will never be a harvest.

sleep, and rise night and day - confidence

Something is wanted. The ground has been located. The seed has been acquired and the man has gotten the seed into the ground. He will go about his normal life sleeping at night and rising in the day. He did not give much thought to the seed he had planted. The man simply went about his normal life. Why? Why didn't he worry about the seed? The reason is because he had set into motion a principle of God promised since Noah. It was seedtime.

One of the principles of the gift of the evangelist is that they have a tremendous confidence in the gospel. They understand that if they can share this gospel with anyone that something wonderful will happen.

seedtime and harvest

According to Genesis 8:22, there never be a time when seedtime and harvest will not happen upon the earth. There will always be seedtime and harvest just as there will be cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night. Why? Why do we so easily except that fact? Because all of our lives it has been this way. These are simply principles that we all accept and expect. If it is 10 o'clock p.m., we don't ask questions like, "Why is it dark outside?" It is night time and it is supposed to be dark. In our part of the planet, we don't ask in August, "Why was it more than 90 degrees today?" It is summertime and it is supposed to be hot. We except that this is the way it is supposed to be. The man planted expecting the seed to bring a harvest. That was the way it was supposed to be.

If we can grasp this point, we can rest concerning our loved ones. If what Jesus is saying here is true, and we know it must be, then all you need to do is plant the seed. If we can truly believe that if the seed is gotten in, they will become a part of the harvest. If we can believe that, then we can have rest and confidence for their salvation.

spring and grow up - How many want a harvest? (Relatives, loved ones, coworkers)

The seed that he planted then did spring and grow up. That is simply the natural process. The man doesn't understand how all that happened. The man doesn't give a lot of thought to what caused the seed to spring and begin to grow. He just knows that he planted the seed into the ground and it did spring up. It is a principle that works the year in and the year out, the year in and the year out, the year in and the year out. It is a continual process. There is never a year that he cannot plant seed into the ground and the seed will not spring and grow up.

Yet, for some reason, we do not accept the fact that if we will plant the gospel of the kingdom into people that it will just as automatically spring and grow up. I don't exactly understand why this lack of expectancy exists. Each of us has experienced this very event. Somewhere along the way of life, the gospel of the kingdom was planted into each of our hearts and that seed did exactly what Jesus said seed would do. I did spring and grow up. That fact alone, that it happened to each of us, should give us tremendous confidence in seedtime and harvest.

Jesus told the natural process of growth toward harvest. Perhaps this is the primary point of the parable. In the natural, when a seed breaks through the ground, we see the blade. We see the tiny embryo of the plant. That blade must be left to grow. All the man could do was watch. He can perhaps water and remove weeds, but mostly he waits and observes. It is not time to harvest the corn yet. Next comes the formation of the ear. It is forming and becoming ready, but it cannot be harvested yet.

harvest immediately

Shortly thereafter comes the full corn in the ear. Now is the time for harvest. The Lord said when it was time to immediately harvest the corn. Too often we attempt to use the sickle before time. We get anxious. No we must sleep and rise and go about the joy of life. Harvest time will come.

irresistible

The point of today's lesson is that the seed of the gospel of the kingdom is irresistible. Even stony soil and thorny soil cannot resist the seed's springing up. We are told this in the book of Revelation.

REV 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

REV 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

What happened that caused this great multitude to be found before the throne? I am not speaking about eschatology. My point is that each of them, at some time, received the seed of the kingdom. There is no nation that can resist the springing up and growth of the gospel of the kingdom. There is no group o f people that can resist the springing up and growth of the gospel of the kingdom. There is no language that can resist the springing up and growth of the gospel of the kingdom. It is God's power to salvation.

ROM 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

We are beginning our study on becoming a Contagious Christian. That simply means finding ways to plant the seed of the gospel into the lives of people. An important point of this parable is that there is no power in the seed until it is planted into the ground. The truth is we must get the gospel of Christ planted into the hearts of people. Once planted, the power is released. The tiny seed will indeed spring and grow up. That is a promise that has worked since Noah.

The seed produced a multitude. The principle of harvest is that one seed will produce many full ears of corn for harvest. I actually do not know of anyone that came into the kingdom and did not multiply. One seed becomes many seeds or full ears.

How is the kingdom like a man planting seed?

1. Plant seed. Nothing can be harvested if nothing is planted. The promise is that planting insures a harvest. Plant the seed and leave it alone. Go about your normal life. That is seedtime.

2. Observation. Once the seed has sprung up, observe the process. It will grow from a blade to an ear to a full ear. It will do this on its own. The natural process is to grow. Perhaps a little watering and a little removing of weeds are necessary, but the normal process is for the seed to develop into a full ear.

3. Harvest. It becomes apparent when the full ear is ready to be harvested.