Why do different people respond differently to the same message? Why do some reject the Gospel of Christ and others accept it and live Christian lives? Jesus provides an answer to this question in Mark 4.
“Behold, there went out a sower to sow… as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 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…. The sower soweth the word. 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. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness…afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns… 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. 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 4:4-8, 14-20)
The Sower is Jesus, or any one else who plants the seed. It could represent you and me. The Seed is the Word of God, or the Gospel scattered far and wide. So why doesn’t everybody accept the Gospel? It depends on what kind of dirt you want to be…
1. Hard Dirt will not listen to God.
This dirt represents those hearers who are indifferent to the Word so it is immediately stolen from them by Satan.
2. Shallow Dirt will not listen long to God.
This dirt represents those who merely make an intellectual assent to the Word but have no real spiritual change of heart. They initially welcome it, but never lit it go beyond the surface of their lives.
3. Crowded Dirt will listen to others along with God.
This dirt represents those who look good for a while but after time overly concerned with temporary things. They are materially focused, which finally results in their being drawn completely away from the Word of God.
Jesus describes three things that choke (crowd) the Word: Worry, Wealth, and Wants. It is easy to pack life with such a multitude of interests that there is no time left for Christ.
This is a divided heart – like the heart of the girl to which a young man once proposed. He said, “Darling, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world. I want you to marry me. I’m not rich. I don’t have a yacht or a Rolls Royce like Johnny Brown, but I do love you with all my heart.” She thought for a minute and replied, “I love you with all my heart, too, but tell me more about Johnny Brown.” This heart says to Jesus, “I love you with all my heart, but tell me more about the world.”
4. Fruitful Dirt listens and obeys God.
The dirt is the one who hears the Word, receives it, and puts it into action. The final result is fruit, which is the mark of a genuine believer. If we bear fruit, it is proof that we are listening.
We might hear God’s Word, but do we listen. Hearing affects the ears, but listening pierces the heart. This is not the listening we use when we listen to background radio music. To really hear Jesus’ words is to believe them, use them immediately in decisions and attitudes, and base life on them – our recreation and work, family plans and money maters, schooling and voting, praying and singing. To hear Jesus’ words is to make Jesus our true Lord.
The most important thing is that we listen to Jesus and receive His Word, not with hard hearts (impenetrable and needs to be broken up), or shallow hearts (only emotions touched but no actions occur), or crowded hearts (strangled by love for this world).
Which kind of dirt are you?
What thorns tend to choke out and crowd out the Word in your life?
What circumstances tend to scorch your faith and cause it to wither?
What is God trying to tell you today? Will you show you are listening by responding right now?
Will you sow the seed and leave the results up to God?
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