Subject Seventy-one

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

1. The sower
   1. The sower is the Lord Jesus. The sowing is to sow the seed of life into the field that it may grow something living. The Lord Jesus is such a sower.
   2. The Lord Jesus came to the earth to sow the life of God into man, that the life of God may grow in man.
2. The seed
   1. The seed that the Lord Jesus sowed was the life of God.
   2. The life of God is in the word of the Lord. The words that the Lord Jesus spoke or preached are the seed of life.
3. The field
   1. The Lord sows the seed of life into the heart of man. Therefore, man’s heart becomes the field for the seed of life.
   2. There are four kinds of soil.
4. The wayside heart
   1. The first heart is the heart of the wayside. The Lord said that some seed fell on the wayside. The wayside is the shoulder of the way where man walks. Although you may say that it is the way, and perhaps it even looks like the way, yet it is not really the way, it is beside the way. Although it is not the real way, because it is the soil beside the way, it is trodden by man. Therefore, it becomes hardened and the seed cannot easily be grown in it.
   2. Many hearts are like the wayside with many things passing through. The soil is continually trodden down by the traffic of all these things. Therefore, man’s heart becomes hardened toward the word of God.
   3. Because of the hardness of the soil of the wayside, the seed cannot be sown into it. The birds come to eat it up. When anyone is deeply involved with the things of the world, the soil of his heart is hardened. The words of the gospel cannot penetrate deeply into his heart. The birds, which represent Satan, come to eat the seed of the gospel.
5. The stony heart
   1. The stony heart is the ground with soil on the surface and rocks underneath.
   2. Some listen to the word of the Lord, but they only hear it superficially; deep inside of them are the hidden rocks. The rocks are sins, the world, friendship, fame, etc. They are not willing to give up these things.
   3. Those who have believed only superficially stumble when the trials come. They are like seedlings in shallow soil that withered away by the scorching of the sun.
6. The thorny heart
   1. Although there are no rocks in the thorny heart, yet there are other things growing there. The earthly cares, the deceitfulness of riches, and other lusts are the thorns.
   2. Today there are also some who accept the words of the Lord, yet their hearts have not been freed from the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and other lusts.
   3. After a man has heard the word, the word of God inside him does not result in much growth when it encounters the thorns.
7. The heart with the good soil
   1. The good soil is not the wayside soil, nor the rocky soil, nor the soil with thorns.
   2. This soil does not have the traffic of people and worldly things. It is not shallow, does not have hidden sins and love of the world. It is not thorny, does not have the anxiety of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other lusts. This heart is good soil.
   3. When anyone with such a heart with good soil accepts the word of the Lord, the result is the fruit bearing of the Lord’s life, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold.
8. How to have a heart with good soil
   1. Do not allow your heart to be trodden by the traffic of people and worldly things; keep your heart from being too close to these things.
   2. Get rid of the hidden sins and the worldly love in your heart.
      Give examples to expose their hearts.
   3. Get rid of the anxiety of the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things.
   4. Receive the word of the Lord with a good heart. The word of the Lord is also the life of the Lord.