The Unstoppable Gospel
With me to Mark chapter number for Mark chapter. Number for, we're going to pick up where we left off. Last Sunday's we're continuing our preaching Through The Book of Mark, The Gospel According to mark.
Mark chapter number for inverse. Number 26. So good to see each and every one of you this morning.
Mark, 4:26.
Says and he said, speaking of Jesus said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep by night and Rise by day and a seed to sprout and grow. He himself does not know how For the Earth yields crops by itself. First the blade, then the head after that, the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens immediately, he puts in the sickle because the Harvest has come on a priest. You this morning on this thought, the Unstoppable gospel. The Unstoppable gospel is prayer. Our Father Lord, we love you. And father, we do pray as a song stated to teach us your ways. In times of sorrow and Times of success.
Teach us Lord, while we are young. he just as we age, And Lord teaches. As we grow older.
Father, I pray that as we look at this passage of scripture. Father, I pray that you would do that. That which I cannot do. And that is apply this truth to the hearts of the people. I pray Lord for the Christian that they would be encouraged. DeSoto the seed of the Gospel. I pray, Lord for those that are here that are lost. God, I pray that the gospel would shine unto them today and they would respond by faith and believing in your son Jesus Christ. As their lord and savior. Father, we love you. We ask all of these things in Christ name and all God's people said, amen and amen. Being called into the ministry, the preaching Ministry. The gospel Ministries. One of the greatest blessings that man could ever know. And really it is something. As far as the being a pastor or preacher is concerned, it's something that only other preachers can appreciate. As we think about the Blessed thing I've been called into the ministry. Can you get me? Also the same hand. Very discouraging. Being involved in the spread of the Gospel, can be a discouraging thing. Many times, it can seem that our efforts are ineffective. Or that our efforts are futile. Especially when we go through seasons. Were there just seems to be no fruit?
some of you who share your faith with your friends, or your family and co-workers, find that most of the time, that's the message of the Gospel is either ignored Are you find yourself being ridiculed or even sometimes attacked at least verbally? It's very difficult to see that to witness those to whom you love. And you desire for them to be saved. And it seems as though that they could care less. As far as the condition of their soul is concerned and so that can be very, very discouraging. Well, this Parable, this morning offers some hope to those who take the time to share their faith with others. This Parable teaches us that the gospel seed. The seed of a glorious gospel has power. This Parable teaches us that while we may not see the immediate results, the gospel will bear fruit in the Lord's time. Beloved when the gospel is shared, whether it is shared from the pulpit or where it is shared from a public witness, a personal Witness. A mysterious process, begins to take place. And this process is a sovereign work of God. This process is often hidden from the view of men. Yet this process results in change lives. And saved Souls. This Parable is one of the many, the Lord told. During his Earthly Ministry, have we had as, as we have already seen in chapter 4, he started out with a parable of the sower and then as we saw last week, the parable of the lamp, And then we see the parable of the seed today. But the kingdom of God is his spiritual Kingdom. And beloved, listen, that kingdom is growing today. And listen, every person who has been saved by the grace of God is in that spiritual Kingdom. And here in this Parable, Jesus speaks he makes it quite clear. That he intends to grow this Kingdom. In fact, when he spoke, when he spoke of his church, when he spoke of his church to his disciples, he stated plainly that his intention was to build his church.
Now, down Through the Ages. There have been those. Those kings and dictators who have tried to stop the church from being built. They have tried with all their might to try to Stamp Out Christianity and try to Stamp Out the Bible. But what they have found out him. What we need to be reminded of this morning is that there is nothing that can stop Christianity. There is nothing that can stamp out the word of God. For you to Stamp Out the word of God would be for you to step out and God himself and that's never going to happen. The gospel is Unstoppable and it will continue to grow. Sony's verses Jesus tells us a little bit about how he is going to grow the kingdom and he gives us here some principles of Kingdom growth. I want you to say that Jesus Christ fully intend to grow, his father's Kingdom upon this Earth. And that you, you can be a part of what he is doing. So, let's look at this. Parable this morning, quickly notice, as we think about the Unstoppable gospel. Notice number one, Kingdom, growth involves a Ministry. Kingdom, growth involves a Ministry. As we think about this ministry. We think about the means and which it grows, we think about the human aspect of it. It is a human Ministry. We noticed this and verse 26, and Jesus said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. I notice who sews the seed in verse 26. A man. It is sown by a man. It is sown by those who are made of mere dust. And for his own reasons for our father's own reasons. Has chosen to grow his kingdom, through human ministers, through human me, And he uses that's Paul the Apostle Paul called it preaching. The foolishness of preaching. The world sees our preaching. As something that is foolish. McDon is uses the preaching of his word as a means of Salvation, to all who will believe
So God uses men think about that. Just share the most glorious message known.
To this earth. God could have called an angel to do this.
What you think about it? An angel. Couldn't really share this story of Grace because they have, they have not been recipients of Grace.
The song, Amazing Grace is a song that the Angels cannot sing. And so we share the story as men who have been saved by grace. We have been saved by grace and think about this each of us was saved because some believer somewhere sewed, the gospel seed.
so, with that being said, however, The man in this parable. Is not the focus of this parable. The focus of this Parable is the seed. That's the focus. The man is passive because the power for the seed to sprout and grow is not in him. the seed has within itself, the power of its own generation, James says, the half brother of Jesus wrote in James 1:21 humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. I'll blood. Listen, you plant the word in a receptive soul and off it goes and off. it grows and it's been said that Captain James Hook the famous British Explorer in the 1700's who first
Was the first European to visit Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. It is said that every time he went to go explore, he took with him a little packet of English seeds and he would scatter them in those suitable places. And so when he would get to a new place with leave his ship and then he would go then and Scatter those seeds and wherever he went,
He showered the world. With the flowers & Herb's of his native country. I know. Listen to me, may we Who are in the citizens, citizenship of Heaven sow, the seeds of the gospel of grace, wherever our path may take us through this Barren world. if a human Ministry, But notice also it is a humbling Ministry. The gospel Ministry is a humbling Ministry. We see this. Number 27,
An. Should sleep by night. Let's go ahead and read verse 26 again for contacts, and he says Jesus said, the kingdom of God is at is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep by night and Rise by day and the seeds to sprout and grow. He himself does not know how. And so after the farmer has sown the seed, he has done all that he can. He cannot bring life out of the ground. He can only. So the sea. He cannot make the seeds. Germinate. He cannot make the seed growing plants in bear fruit. He does not even know how it happens. He just knows it happens. Nobody knows even though even a great scientist. Horticulturalists in the world. Don't know how that happens. I just know it happened. They can't really Define how it happens or why it happens. How a dormant seed comes from that life and then a huge crop.
So that farmer he places it into the ground and he waits to see what will become of that seed. And in that sense, the gospel Ministry is a humbling Ministry. The farmer is at the mercy of the CDs, at the mercy of the soil. He's at the mercy of the elements. And once he has planted the seed, that's all he can do.
I believe that this is referring to the minister. The one who preaches, the word of God to other people. Weather Believers or unbelievers. Who does not understand the work of God in the human heart. The minister is Christ, ambassador. But he does not understand himself, how the Lord does his blessed work. It is way too wonderful for him to comprehend. You simply being faithful to what God has called him to do this. He scatters the truth of the Gospel. And a word of God upon the hearts of the people. And then he goes home. And he goes to bed. And then he Waters that with prayer.
He rises up on Monday morning and he Waters that seat again with the prayers. That all those dear people that he preached who would retain in their hearts, the precious truth of the word of God. He pray that it will be a living and growing thing in their hearts and that it would change them to the glory of God. Oh, but he himself. Does not know how God will work in their hearts. It is a mystery in many ways. all the kingdom kingdom growth involves a Ministry but noticed it also secondly, Kingdom growth involves. A mystery. And involves a mystery. We've talked about this just a little bit.
Verse 27 tells us that it's really a puzzling mystery.
27 again, says and should sleep by night and Rise by day. And the seeds for sprouting grow. He himself does not know how. As I said, the farmer, the scientists. No philosopher, king explained, clearly how a dormant seed can produce live when it is buried in the soil. yet, within an hour of being song, The outer husk of that seed, begins to swell as it draws moisture from. The soil. Within 10 hours, the chemical makeup of the sea begins to change and often and less than 24 hours that seed begins to send a tiny Roots downward and the beginning of a stalk begins to grow up. And so with that, it is a puzzling mystery, how that happens, but yet this dormant, see this dead seed brings forth produces life. And so it is with the gospel, so it is with a gospel. When it is sown, when it is received on a, on a receptive heart, they prepared heart, good soil. It is a mystery, but that seed begins to germinate. Sometimes it takes minutes. Sometimes it takes, it takes hours. Many times, it takes months. Or even years. But there is life within that seed and it will begin to germinate within that part. Darryl was just telling me a little bit about the Beast Feast that many of y'all attended last night. You tell me about the quarterback who spoke their John ketner. That former NFL quarterback, who was a sold-out Believer, a Christian. He was telling the testimony given the testimony of how he witness to some of his NFL teammates. And he said, you know what, I thought nothing would come of it. I sure the gospel and I just kind of just Walked out on me. What about 10 years later? I received a phone call from one of those guys that I share the gospel with it to whom, I thought it didn't take at all. But the guy that called me on the phone. Katniss said, he said, hey what you said, concerning the gospel stuff with me. And I've become a Christian. Hey, listen to me. We don't know. We do not know.
Have a Lord will use the Glorious gospel.
But when the Lord dies use it, it brings forth life.
Listen, John 6:44, tells us this no man comes to me unless the father who sent me draws him. Somehow someway, when the preaching of the word is done, the Lord uses the Holy Spirit to convict and to draw.
That person to Christ. Is a puzzling, Miss Mystery. How seemingly just worst received Into the Heart can bring about such a profound change.
It all those who have experienced it know the power of the Gospel when it touches the good soil of the heart. It's a puzzling mystery notice. It's also a private mystery. Verse 28 says, for the Earth yields crops by itself Until the seed is planted and it germinates soon thereafter but the results may not be visible. As I said, four days in a week and even many times longer than that. Until the work at first that is done within a person's heart. Who has received the word is very private. The farmer doesn't know which seeds will germinate. And therefore, the farmer must patiently, wait for the results of his labor to be seen. He does not know which seed will grow and which one will not. He does not know perfectly the condition of the soil to whom he is. Scattering the C2 and so he must wait And Bloated. So, so it is with those who sow the gospel seed into men's hearts. We do not know the condition of each man's heart. We do not know which seed will grow and bear fruit in which seed will not. As I said, days and weeks and months and years may pass without seeing any results from our laborers, but such things are not to be our worry. Because listen. Has called us to what he's called us to sow the seed. That's it. So the seed, preach the word preach, the gospel, the Harvest. Is golf responsibility.
And so even when results cannot be C. We must believe that there is the power of it in the gospel to save the human heart. The private Ministry, but notice also it's a precious ministry again. Verses 28 says The Earth yields crops. By itself. In other words, it's all of God. It's God's work. What did Paul tell us in 1st Corinthians chapter 3? He said I planted Apollos watered. But it was God, who gave the increase? God gave the increase as a Paul is saying that both life and growth is a Divine operation. We cannot make a seed. Germinate. We don't have that power. We sow the seed, we scatter the seed. I don't have the power to birth you into the kingdom of God. I don't have the power to birth you into a spiritual Kingdom. Only God can do that. Listen to what Jesus said to Nicodemus and John 3:5.
Jesus answered and said, most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the spirit You cannot enter the kingdom of God, that which is born, of the flesh is flesh. And that, which is born of the spirit is Spirit, do not Marvel. That I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but cannot tell, where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone, who is born of the spirit?
You cannot birth yourself physically, right? And you cannot birth yourself spiritually. It is a work of God. Ameripak, John 1:12. And 13 says, but as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God, to those. Who believe in his name, who were born? Not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of, man. But of God, John MacArthur sums this up concisely. And he says, there's no human being contributes to the, to the Regeneration conversion. Excuse me. No human being contributes to their regeneration, conversion and justification, salvation process. All we can do is tell the truth, all we can do is scatter the seed. And the seed itself is very potent is very powerful. Romans chapter 1. The gospel is the power of God unto Salvation, And as we heard this earlier, if you're in this Sunday, school class in here, what Ted pot do so, well, with what we're looking at this morning as he speaks about the word of God, how it is. So powerful, Hebrews 12 and verse 13. It says the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing as far as the division of Soul and Spirit.
Verse 28. I love this part.
When the Sea Falls on fertile ground, it begins to grow. It says, for the Earth yields crops by itself, and then when it begins to grow first the blade, then the head after that, the full grain in the head beloved. In other words? What God begins, he completes what God begins. He completes Philippians 1:6. He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. It's a b. This aspect is so critical for us to understand, especially to those who are in church leadership, who are Evangelical manipulators, clever marketers, who think they can make people believe the gospel, and many have great, great intentions, but love, listen, those emotional. Emotional manipulation and Mann Center techniques, cannot create life.
Those things cannot create life in the heart of a sinner. Listen to see genuine convert, we don't have to play music and just set the right mood and then all the Sinners will come. No, you plant the seed and let the seed do its work. It's not about me, have pressured invitations. It's not about any any human human effort, listen, you don't do dogs work with human means.
You saying this regeneration conversion is only done by the spirit of God. That's something the Lord alone. We preach. Dr. Sewing We pray, that's our watering and then we plead we plead for Sinners to come to Jesus and to be safe. Notice the last thing.
Kingdom growth. Involves a Majesty.
something Majestic about
verse 28 special, as we apply to spiritual truth. For the Earth yields crops by itself.
First the blade, then the head. And after that, the full grain in the head. It is very interesting, the word itself there in the Greek is the word automate. Is the word that we get our English word automatically from. That's what literally reads like this the Earth Bears, fruits automatically. Once a process has begun, it is destined to be completed, you have the blade, you have the ear, you have the grain. And then soon, you'll have the Harvest. But notice this, that the are the process that brings about the fullness of the kingdom of God. It's not spectacular.
It is not something that is spectacular, but it is something that is very certain.
Even now. As I'm speaking. The kingdom of God is present and it is growing. Before I get up here and preach the gospel. To you this morning, somebody, some preacher in China, Underground. Preach the word. Somebody in Iraq. somebody in Africa, preach the gospel before I got up here and preach the gospel, and whether we realize it or not, the kingdom of God is growing.
Listen, God did not design his kingdom. The come like a, like a tidal wave. Or lightning bolt. Something that comes quickly, and then just takes over. now listen, God planted God planted it. In the coming of a Galilean peasant.
He planted it in a man who did not. He did not even have a place to lay his own head at night. Do gathered about him.
A bunch of nobodies.
Who in that Society, in that culture would have looked upon those men to whom the Gathering said? What a What a bunch of losers to put it in today's terminology. But yet, God used them. To transform the entire world. So that some two thousand years later after they have gone and died, I am preaching. The same gospel that they preached in a little area in Palestine. It is amazing.
The ways of God are mysterious.
But they're also successful. Notice / 29.
and when the grain ripens, Immediately he puts in the sickle. Because, the Harvest has come. All there is a precious promise, given to every child of God who Faithfully sews the seed of a gospel. I love what Paul said in Galatians 6:9. He said and let us not grow weary. While doing good. For in due season, we shall reap. If we do not lose heart, how easy it is for us to grow weary. Oh, help us. Lord to not lose heart. And then look at Psalm 126 and verse 5. Says Those Who sow in tears, shall reap in joy? He who continually Goes Forth weeping bearing seed for sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.
Listen child of God. Keep sowing the seed. Keep selling the seed, keep watering those sees through your prayers and in the Lord's time. He will bring forth a mighty Harvest. Who would have ever imagined? That starting with only a group of twelve men. Christianity Woodrow to where it is today.
And as much as that growth has occurred in those two thousand years. It's not over yet. The growth of the Gospel is not over yet. It will continue to grow until every people group on this planet is found in the kingdom of God. God will ensure its growth. God will build his church.
Plant the seed. Water it with your prayers. Listen, if you're saved. Today I asked you, are you showing the gospel? Are you showing the seed of the Gospel through your words are even through gospel tracks? We all can do that. If you are saved, are you growing in the Lord? Are you as verse, 28 talks about how it starts out first with the blade and then the ear and then the full grain. Are you growing in the Lord? If you're here, and you're not saved. Listen to seed of a gospel has been planted. I pray that you will respond by faith. With a repentant heart on to Salvation. Let's pray together.