The sower and the seed

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

HARVEST THANKSGIVING - SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2020 AM

MARK 4 VERSES 3 - 9, 14 - 20

I was greatly encouraged this week by this sermon preached out in the open air by the Lord himself.  I trust that you will be like Mary of old.  Martha was so busy preparing something to eat but Mary sat at the feet of the Lord listening to what Jesus had to say.  May we sit at his feet today.  The Lord took the simplest of things to make deep spiritual applications.  This sermon was on the farmer sowing the seed in the field.  Jesus spoke as no other man spake.  He had no letters to his name, he had no formal education yet no man spake like this man.  There is a great emphasis on education today and it is good to have every opportunity but when a man is lying on his deathbed and needs someone to tell him the truth of God's word, he needs someone who can tell it simply.  A sower going forth to sow.  Jesus explains the outcome.  Mark says in chapter 4 verse 3 "the sower went forth to sow.  In Luke 8 we read "the seed is the word of God".  Jesus is explaining it all here.  The sower is sowing the seed of the word of God.  A man or woman sharing the word of God.  Matthew dwells more on the fruit that comes forth.  I want to think today of the sower.

The sower's priority.  We need to think of the year in which Jesus taught this parable.  There was no machinery, the seed was scattered by hand.  He carried an apron around his waist with the seed in it.  He scattered the seed near and far.  The sower was the Lord Jesus but also represents anyone who shares the word of God.  We need to sow the seed  - that was the sower's priority.  "You have nothing to do but see souls saved" John Wesley said to those he was sending out to preach.  You can share the word of God with whoever you come into contact with.  1 Corinthians 1 verse 17 "Christ sent me ... to preach the gospel."  Chapter 9 verse 16 "woe unto me if I preach not the gospel."  Remember the church in Jerusalem, Paul was a great opponent of the disciples who shared the word of God.  He sought to put them down, to close the church down, to quieten this message.  He would arrest people and put them into prison for their faith so much so that the disciples had to flee from Jerusalem not for their own safety.  However it would open up to them a brand new avenue of service.  Acts 8 verse 4 "they were scattered abroad (and they) went everywhere preaching the word (of God)."  Are you sowing today?  Have you sown any seed in the past week?  The disciples did not forget the command of Jesus "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel."  We all have a responsibility.  Paul said to Timothy "preach the word be instant in season and out of season". (2 Timonthy 4 verse 2) When you don't feel like it or when you do.  Why did Paul say this?  Because he was looking forward to the day when he would see the fruit of his labours and the harvest would be brought in.

The practice of the sower.  "He goeth forth to sow."  Sometimes we think we should be giving out a track, speaking to someone about salvation but we never do it.  Psalm 126 verse 6"he that goeth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing."  Going out with one priority to sow, tries to cover as much ground as possible, unaware of what is happening beneath the surface.  There were no fences or hedges, just wide open space.  He scattered as far as he could.  What is unknown to him is the seed falling here it did.  Perhaps some fell on hard ground, an area covered with stone underneath.  Maybe it was an area full of weeds.  Don't be put off by spreading the gospel because some people are hard.  They appear as they don't want to know but we do not know what is going on beneath the surface in individual's lives.  They may be hungry for the gospel.  Maybe there are people who really want to hear the gospel but it could be hard for them to do that.  In Acts 17 Paul was preaching about Jesus' death and resurrection but at this point, some people mocked, while  some said "we will hear you again on this matter" but then there were those who believed.  In the Old Testament scriptures Hezekiah was a godly king who sat on the throne.  His father was very ungodly who stopped the religious services.  Hezekiah opened up the temple doors, it took a week to carry out the rubbish and to set up all the golden vessels.  Hezekiah sent messages throughout all the land to come back to Jerusalem because they were going to celebrate the Passover, the delivery from Egypt under the hard bondage of the taskmasters, how God had provided for a lamb to be the sacrifice, the substitution for their sins.  The practice - they went out with the message.

The patience of the sower.  We need patience as we sow the seed.  James 5 verse 7 "be patient therefore unto the coming of the Lord.  Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."  Don't give up - in other words maybe you have been praying for someone and would love to see them saved but they are not saved yet, as if they don't want to be saved.  The sower scattering the seed sees the birds carrying the seed off.  This pictures is of someone who is listening to the gospel message, God wants to save them but they never come to Christ.  They have never trusted him as Saviour and Lord.  Putting these things to the back of their mind.  Something they didn't understand and they are not going to try and understand.  The devil is like the fowls of the air.  He comes in and picks up the seed and carries it away lest people hear and accept the seed.  Underneath the surface there is hard stony ground.  Seems as if there is no fruit.  The sun comes up and the winds blow and the seed falls away.  That is what happens today.  Sometimes the gospel is preached, people step forward but in a few weeks there is nothing there.  There is no root in their lives.  Maybe as the sower goes forth underneath there is a bed of thorns.  Some seed falls to the ground.  As it grows up the weeds choke it up.  Maybe sometimes someone is genuine and really trusts the Lord as Saviour but something happens in their lives - promotion, new responsibilities in their life, family, car, need extra time to work.  All of this takes them from the word of God, meeting with God's people and prayer time.  They are choked by the word of God.  No fruit.  We need patience.

The prize of the sower.  He sees that which he has laboured for bringing forth a harvest.  Is our priority sowing the seed?  What is your practice - are you doing it today?  Do you need that patience to wait.  Maybe we feel like giving God a helping hand but we should be waiting on the Lord to work.  Some fell on the hard ground.  Some fell on the stony ground and withered away.  Some of the seed was choked.  Then he sees a harvest - "bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty and some an hundred."  He forgets about the hard times when he sees the results.  "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenth." (Luke 15 verse 10) Paul spoke in Thessalonians "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"