Mark 4:26-29

So in the evenings, Paul is doing a short series on encouragement, which we're taking a break from tonight.

! But I guess my aim really is to give you a little boost of encouragement, I hope, particularly with a view to evangelism from this passage.

In Mark 4. I don't know what you think when you think of the word evangelism, or how you feel. It is normally the word that brings sort of terror into our core, isn't it?

It is a great responsibility, it is a great privilege of the church, to think that God has set up the church as his mouthpiece to the world.

That he has commissioned his church to go to all the nations and to share his gospel message.

And I think we know that well, don't we, as a church? We have a high view of evangelism.

And with that, I think, comes a feeling of pressure.

We can often think that it is all about us, as evangelists, as a church or as individuals, wherever we are.

And in that, I think we can become slightly control freakish about evangelism.

I know that I want that feeling of being in control as I share the gospel.

I don't like to be out of control.

The problem is, recognising, isn't it, that evangelism is actually more about God than it is about me.

It is more about God working than it is about me.

I can think back over conversations, perhaps, that I've had with non-Christians.

And I normally go one of two ways, and I kick myself afterwards.

I can go in a bit too hard and sort of bamboozle fake with biblical language in terms which just alienate them.

And just push them further away.

They don't understand.

Or, perhaps more commonly, I've actually not had enough Bible in my speech and in my language and in my conversation.

I've not been biblical enough.

And I've just given them platitudes or some of my own cherished thoughts.

And really, I'm scared of their reaction.

And that feeling of wanting to be in control determines how I speak to people.

Slightly control freakish in evangelism.

But I think that is why this passage is so refreshing in Mark chapter 4.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

Because despite our involvement in the kingdom of God growing through evangelism,

God's kingdom grows independently from us.

Jesus gives the parable here of the picture of a farmer who knows the job of sowing seed.

The analogy is sowing the word, isn't it?

And yet he knows the limits of his job.

Do you see that in verse 27?

He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows.

He knows not how.

Verse 28.

The earth produces by itself.

The growth is independent from him, the farmer.

He is quietly confident of a harvest, isn't he?

At the end in verse 29, he puts in the sickle.

But he has to give up that feeling of control.

He has to rely on the seed itself.

And on the earth, and on the weather,

and on things that he has no control over whatsoever.

Just remember, this is farming without pesticides,

without genetic modification,

without modern machinery.

And so as a farmer, you have to relinquish control

over the whole process,

and get on your knees and pray

for bread at the end of the season.

You have to do that as an ancient farmer in Jesus' day.

And this, Jesus is saying, is what the kingdom of God is like.

It grows, in a sense, independently from us.

And so there is no need for control freakishness.

Now as we get into this more,

I want us to see that actually,

Jesus himself, in his own ministry,

has modelled this to us.

He is the ultimate evangelist, isn't he?

The ultimate seed sower.

And yet we see, in his ministry,

that he is not a control freak.

But his confidence is in the power of

the seed of the word.

He is convicted that, despite appearances,

he's actually chosen the right method

for the job,

as the kingdom grows.

So I want us to see three things in this parable

that show Jesus' mindset.

Jesus is not a control freak in evangelism,

because he knows the kingdom will grow

through the word.

The kingdom will grow through the word.

Now if you look at this farmer here,

in this parable,

there's an intentionality here, isn't there?

He is doing something.

He is intending on there being results.

So he bothers to go outside,

and he is sure that this strange process

of putting these tiny little seeds

in the ground has a point.

These tiny, tiny specks

of genetic material

are going to do something.

He relies upon them.

And the kingdom, it grows

only through

the specks, the seeds,

the word.

Now back in chapter 2 of Mark,

if you look at verse 38 there,

chapter 2, the seed is that

Jesus is with his disciples,

and he's got a long queue of people

waiting for healings.

But in chapter 2, verse 38,

listen to Jesus,

let us go on to the next town

that I may preach

there also.

For that is why

I came out.

And this is the pattern,

the priority for Jesus

that comes up again and again

in Mark's Gospel.

Chapter 1, verse 39,

he went round Galilee

preaching in their synagogues.

Chapter 2, verse 2,

he was preaching the word to them.

Chapter 2, verse 13,

he was teaching them.

Chapter 3, verse 1,

he entered the synagogue,

presumably there,

to teach.

And as he sends his disciples out,

in chapter 3, verse 14 and 15,

he does say that they would

preach and cast out demons

with all authority.

You see, there is a priority

out of all of the things

that Jesus could be doing

and he has been doing.

His priority is the word

for the kingdom to grow.

And so you see how Jesus

is not a control freak

to start off with

because he chooses

the one method

that looks most

out of control.

It's interesting,

as you get to Mark chapter 4,

Mark 4 · chapter mention

you see a division

amongst two sets of people.

There are what Mark calls

the insiders

and the outsiders.

We see a number of people

listening to Jesus

and hearing his word

and they want to know more.

They ask questions.

They get close to Jesus.

They want to pursue him.

But on the other hand,

you see this group

that Mark calls

the outsiders

and they hear Jesus' word

and they don't take it

any further

and they give up

and they walk away.

Jesus' word,

it's kind of like

the Marmite of words,

isn't it?

Some people love it

and stick around.

Some people hate it

and don't want to go

anywhere near it.

And yes, you see,

rather than looking

in control,

choosing this priority

of sowing the word

makes Jesus' kingdom

look out of control.

And that is how

seed sowing feels

so often, isn't it?

It just feels

out of control in a sense.

We cannot control

people's response.

How are they going

to react?

How are they going

to respond to me?

Will they ever

speak to me again

if I say this?

But Jesus knows

despite the appearances,

God's kingdom grows

because the seed

does its work

independently

from the sower.

Now that is quite a thing,

isn't it?

Jesus,

the son of God,

he must also rely

on the power

of the Holy Spirit

and the power

of his word,

isn't it?

Even he faces rejection.

It looks as if

even he and his word

are out of control.

But he is assured,

he is assured

that despite appearances,

God's kingdom

grows only

through the word

going out.

Now all of this

sounds pretty obvious,

doesn't it?

Maybe to you.

Evangelism

must

be about

God's word.

That might sound

obvious.

But I think the real

challenge in this

as we think about

our own

perhaps personal

evangelism

with folk

is that

conversations

need to be

biblically

flavoured,

don't they?

It is getting

the meaning

of the Bible

into people's

minds

and hearts.

It is getting

Jesus' words

into their ears.

And as I think

about that,

I know that as I

speak with people

I can just be

far too cryptic

at times.

I can pretend

that people

will understand

the gospel

just from

suggestions

that I make.

That I expect

them to join

the dots

where they just

do not have

the categories

that I'm

expecting them

to have.

And what is

going on there?

In all honesty

I'm just too

embarrassed about

the seeds,

about the

word.

Too embarrassed

about the seeds

to plant it

confidently.

I look at the

raw materials

that God has

given me

and I just

think,

no way

are they going

to swallow

this.

I look at

what God

supplies and

I think,

no way.

It's just like

what the

disciples did,

isn't it,

with the feeding

of the 5,000.

They look at

the supplies,

they look at

Jesus and

they go,

no way.

But Jesus

says,

no,

you feed

them.

You feed

them.

J.I.

Packer

once said,

you have

liberty and

authority

when you

allow the

Bible

to talk

through you.

And our

desire is to

have biblically

centred

conversations

with folk.

And that is

quite a radical

thought,

isn't it?

Our religion

is supposed

to be private

in our

society.

We don't

expect that,

we don't

look for that

perhaps enough.

And I'm

not just

talking about

scattergunning

people with

Bible verses.

Occasionally a

Bible verse

helps,

doesn't it?

But it is

conversation which

is gospel

flavoured.

And I want to

say,

we can

actually get

the Bible

open with

people,

can't we?

that might

not freak

people out

as much

as you

think.

It's so

easy to be

embarrassed about

the raw

materials that

God gives

us.

I was hearing

the other day

about a Bible

study that

someone was

laying on in

a Christian

union in

a workplace.

And this

workplace was

full of

hard-nosed

business people.

And this

Bible study

leader was

getting a bit

discouraged.

we're going

through the

gospels,

but is this

really sinking

in?

Is it doing

anything?

Well, there

was one

particular

executive,

she was a

woman who

had a no

nonsense air

about her,

she was quite

intimidating,

and she'd

been coming

along to

this Bible

study for

quite a while,

and she

came and

spoke to

this leader

and said,

you know,

I haven't

been able to

get Jesus

out of my

head.

I keep

asking myself,

what would

Jesus do

with the

power that

I have

in my

job?

You know,

I can spot

a person a

mile away

who has

complete

authority,

and Jesus

possesses

authority like

no one else

I've ever

seen.

And yet,

he uses

his power

so beautifully

to serve

others.

I found

myself wanting

to talk to

him about

important decisions

I had to

make in

business.

But then I

said to

myself,

wait a

minute,

you don't

even know

if you

believe in

Jesus yet.

You see,

she'd spent

time,

hadn't she,

in the

Gospels.

She'd been

confronted

with Jesus

in God's

word,

and the

seed was

working there.

God uses

his word in

ways that

can't be

measured,

or explained,

or controlled.

The seed

works,

as that

Bible study

leader,

found out

independently

from the

sower.

And we

are sure,

along with

Jesus,

that the

kingdom will

grow only

through the

word,

even though

it feels

weak and

banal.

So don't

forget the

liberty and

the authority

that you

have when

you let the

Bible speak

through you,

and don't

be embarrassed

about the

raw materials

that God

has given

us.

Let go of

that feeling

of needing

to be in

control,

because the

seed grows

independently

from you,

the sower.

It grows

by itself.

So the

kingdom grows

through the

word.

That's an

important thing

to get in

our minds,

but secondly,

the kingdom

will grow

gradually

through the

word.

Verse 28,

the earth

produces by

itself

first the

blade,

then the

ear,

then the

full grain

in the

ear.

It grows

gradually

in stages.

Just imagine

the farmer,

there he is,

Monday,

he goes out

and he

plants the

seeds,

doesn't he?

But he is

not there

on Tuesday,

wondering

where the

grain is.

He understands

that it's

gradual.

He doesn't

expect too

much too

soon.

First the

blade,

then the

ear,

then the

full grain

in the

ear.

And again,

isn't that

reflected in

the way that

Jesus ministers

with his

disciples?

You can see

it in Mark's

Gospel.

Just think

of all of

the times

in the

Gospels,

where Jesus

gives clear

signs of

who he

is and

how he

is going

to fulfil

his mission

to the

disciples and

they are

clueless,

aren't they?

They just

don't get it.

Because there

are stages

to the

understanding

of the

disciples.

Later on

you can read

in Mark

8,

the midpoint

of the

Gospel,

the episode

of the

gradual

healing

of a

blind

man.

It's a

strange

thing.

There are

two

stages

in his

healing.

And that

is an

active

parable

of the

gradual

understanding

of the

disciples.

And Jesus

throughout

Mark,

he is so

patient with

them,

isn't he?

He

perseveres

with them.

He teaches

them and he

shows them

himself and

he knows

that the

kingdom,

it grows

gradually.

He is in

it for the

long haul

with them.

He is not

expecting too

much too

soon from

them.

But with

that there is

a calmness

in his

approach.

He is not

a control

freak.

He is not

trying to get

them to pray

a prayer after

a five week

course and

expect them

to know

everything all

at once.

But he is

confident that

his word will

do its work

in its own

time.

He is not

a control

freak farmer.

And that is

so encouraging

isn't it,

I think,

for many of

us who

have got

friends and

neighbours

who we've

perhaps shared

the gospel

with in the

past.

We are to

be calm

in evangelism

and yet

quietly

confident

of gradual

growth.

Perhaps those

conversations that

have happened

years and

years and

years ago

and you're

beginning to

think that

they are a

lost cause.

I just

forget about

them now.

Perhaps you can

remember that

conversation that

happened years

ago.

And we are

not to lose

hope, are we?

Because the

kingdom grows

gradually.

On the other

hand, I do

want to say

that actually

we need to

be wary of

times where

there is

exceedingly

quick growth

and it's

exceedingly

speedy.

We long

for a

revival,

don't we,

in London,

in this

country,

that would

be a

wonderful

thing.

But at

the same

time, we

are wary

when there

is exceedingly

speedy

growth.

We do

not want

folks to

be like

those people

in the

parable of

the sower

who spring

up quickly

but they

do not

have the

roots and

they wither

under the

pressure of

living for

Jesus in

the world.

We should

not expect

too much

too soon.

I heard

the story

just the

other day

about a

conversation

someone had

had with

a young

woman

friend

years and

years and

years ago.

she had

lost touch

with this

girlfriend

and she

had apparently

stopped going

to church.

She'd

seemed

completely

lost to

the gospel

and Christian

things.

This was

years ago.

But then

just recently

she'd

re-emerged

and life

had led

her on a

path to

a new

city,

to a new

job and

a marriage

in which

the husband

turned out

to be a

Christian.

And he

took her

along to

church and

over time

she's returned

to the

Lord.

And as

these friends

got chatting

she said,

you know,

I really

never forgot

that conversation

we had all

those years

ago.

See, that was

the planting,

wasn't it?

And it took

years and

years and

years for the

blade and

the ear and

the full grain

to appear.

Seed farming,

it takes great

patience.

There's one

lesson we know

very well here,

isn't it,

in Ealing.

and we

can't expect

it all at

once.

And it's

easy to think,

isn't it,

well,

nothing's

happened yet

in that

family,

amongst that

family in

the estate.

Nothing's

happened yet

with that

family member

that I know.

Nothing's

happened yet

with that

colleague.

And so,

because of

that,

Jesus is not

working there.

That is wrong.

The kingdom

grows,

gradually.

This kind of

thing,

it does apply

to us as

well,

I think,

in the

church,

as believers.

Each of

us have

different stages

of faith

and of

knowledge,

don't we?

And our

approach to

each other

should be

one of

patience.

As Jesus

is patient

with his

disciples,

we need

to know

what people

need to know

and when.

We need

to be

long-suffering

and accommodating

with people's

gaps,

I guess.

John Owen

said that we

can be justified

by faith

without

understanding

justification

by faith.

faith.

We do

not slam

somebody

because they

don't

completely

understand

a doctrine

or something

about Jesus.

We need

to know

what people

need to know

and when

they need to

know it.

So the

kingdom grows

through the

word

and it grows

gradually

through the

word.

And lastly,

the kingdom

is heading

for a

great

harvest.

Verse 29,

the grain

is ripe

at once

he puts

in the

sickle

because the

harvest

has come.

Finally,

in the end,

there will be

a great

harvest.

The harvest

has come.

God's

kingdom,

it seems

banal,

it seems

small now

and there

is nothing

spectacular

about it.

it's just

some little

seed,

Jesus says.

It seems

commonplace.

Even the

king of

the kingdom

is rejected

in the world

today.

And yet

the farmer

is confident

in its

final power

and in its

end result.

It's inevitable.

So rather

than embarrassment

about the

material God

gives us,

we should be

optimistic

actually.

It seems

so insignificant

and its

king seems

so hidden.

But the

goal

is inevitable

of great

harvest.

I wonder

whether you

think about

that day.

I think

Jesus is

referring here

to the day

when he

will return

and all

of his

people will

be joined

together with

him on

the last

day.

On the

day of

harvest,

I wonder

will there

be people

there who

you thought

were lost,

who'd heard

the gospel,

the seed

had been

planted,

and perhaps

you will look

at them

and you'll

say,

is that

really you?

I saw you

years ago

and even

then I

didn't believe

it, but

God was

working

independently

from me,

wasn't he?

And you're

here.

there is

no doubt

about it

for Jesus

because the

seed grows

independently

from us

farmers and

so we're

not to be

control freaks.

This is the

liberation

and authority

you have

when the

Bible talks

through you.

And this

is real.

This is

everyday

Christianity,

isn't it?

It is

worth

remembering

who we

are speaking

to as

we share

our lives

with non-believers.

Let me

finish with a

quote from

C.S. Lewis.

It is a

serious thing

to live in

a society

of possible

gods and

goddesses.

So remember

that the

dullest,

most uninteresting

person you

can talk to

may one

day be a

creature which

if you saw

it now,

you would be

strongly tempted

to worship.

Or else

a horror and

a corruption

such as you

now meet,

if at all,

only in a

nightmare.

There are

no ordinary

people.

You have

never talked

to a mere

mortal.

But it is

to immortals

that we joke

with,

work with,

live with

and speak

to.

And immortal

horrors

or everlasting

splendors

follow them.

There are

no ordinary

people,

no mere

mortals,

but each

one has an

immortal soul.

And so this

is Christianity

and speaking

biblically,

biblically

flavoured

speech to

people

is so

crucial,

isn't it?

It does not

have to mean

quoting verses

of people.

gospel,

it is simply

to explain

the meaning

of the

gospel,

to speak

of Jesus

without

embarrassment.

And that

is scary,

isn't it?

That is scary.

But it's

exciting.

And gloriously,

we are not

in control

of that.

And that is

humbling,

but it's

incredibly

liberating.

Our lives

are so

messy,

and we are

not very

good at it.

But this

passage

encourages us

to see that

the seed

will grow

independently

from us.

And so I

can let go

of my

control

in my

witnessing,

in my

evangelism,

in my

seed sown

with folk

that I

meet.

And I

must get

on my

knees

and pray

for the

harvest.

Spurgeon

said,

whether we

like it

or not,

asking

is the

rule of

the kingdom

because it

grows

independently

from us.

It grows

through the

word,

it grows

gradually,

and there

will be a

harvest.

Let's

pray together.