July 7, 2019 | Pastor John Bayles | The Parable of the Sower: From Small to Great | Mark 4:30-34

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July 7, 2019 | Pastor John Bayles | The Parable of the Sower: From Small to Great | Mark 4:30-34

Parables of the Kingdom of God: Chapter 4:1-33
The Parable of the Sower: From Small to Great
Mark 4:30-34

In these four Kingdom of God parables, Mark examines the entire scope of how the Kingdom of God advances. He is clearly using botanical metaphors, but the Lord’s message is even more clearly a spiritual application. We need not parse the words in any of these four parables to see if Jesus really was omniscient, all-knowing. If he is God, then why doesn’t’ He know that there are seeds smaller than Mustard or that his calculations on the aeration of soil are off, or that ... on and on it goes until the entire point is lost resulting in agreement, denial and ultimately (the devil’s real goal) to bring the Christian life and the Kingdom of God to spiritual unfruitfulness. We see a progressive pattern in the four parables: The first verse, The Parable of the Sower highlights that our ministry is to share the Gospel, sow the seed of the glad tidings in whatever soil, whatever type of life we encounter. It is not an examination of soil or life types to sow into or from which to withhold the previous seed. This parable shows us that our redeemed purpose is to so the message of the Gospel into every life we encounter. Sow the seed! The next verse: The Parable of The Parable of the Lamp on the Stand, is again an exhortation to sow the seed. It is inconceivable that anyone who has been touched by the light and filled with the light could or would then seek to hide its rays from others. This Parable shows us that we must let our light shine. Even the smallest ray will bring illumination to others. The third verse: The Parable of the Growing Seed brings us to marvel at the power of God in regeneration, bringing something to life that is dead and hidden in darkness. But the seed, though hidden in the depth of the soil, is touched by the very breath of God. “All by itself,” automatically, by the power of God alone, it germinates, comes alive and begins to grow. It is God’s work. This parable teaches us how the Gospel grows in the heart of the believer. In this last verse: The Parable of the Mustard seed shows us the capacity of the message of the Gospel. Though it begins as a small, seeming insignificant part of someone’s life, it grows and becomes the defining factor in the whole of each believer’s life.