A Soil Problem

Well, if you have your Bibles tonight, turn to Mark, chapter four.

Mark, chapter four. The sermon I'm preaching tonight. I've entitled

A Soil Problem. We're all very familiar with this passage of the

sower seed. And you know, when he throws the seed on the wayside,

we'll see what that is in a moment and all that. But I. What

really brought this sermon to my attention was that we actually

preached this to the kiddos not too long ago in children's church.

And it's just kind of been in my heart on my mind lately. And I

really feel like the Lord just laid it on my heart again to share

it with you guys. And I think it's just such a great truth and

encouragement to us and reminder. But if you have your Bibles

in Mark chapter four, we'll look at verse number one. It says,

and he began again to teach by the seaside. That's Jesus. And there

was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into

a sit into a ship and sat on the sea. And the whole multitude

was by the sea, on the land. And he taught them many things by

parables, and said unto them is his. And said unto them in his

doctrine, hearken. Behold, there went out a sower to sow. And

it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the

fowls of the air came and devoured it upon. 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. Another fell on good ground and did

yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some

30, and some 60, and some an hundred. And he answered unto them,

he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone,

they sat were about him. And the with the 12 asked of him the

parables. And he said to them, unto you it is given to know the

mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto them that are without, all

these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see

and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand,

lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should

be forgiven them. Of course, the title tonight is a soil problem.

Let's pray. Lord, we just want to thank you so much for allowing

us to meet in your house tonight again. Lord, I pray you'd

hide Me behind your cross, and that it'd be the sermon that you

would want preach, Lord, not my own Lord, and that you would speak

through me and I would just be your mouthpiece. Please be with this

sermon. In Jenna I pray, Amen. The problem that we are facing in

our world today, it's not a seed problem. We like to paint things

a certain way, especially as Christians, we really like to make

excuses. Unfortunately for myself, I am Captain excuses. I have

an excuse for everything, right? But you see here, the problem

is not the seed. The problem is with the soil. In the parable,

right? We see the sower, the same in the sower, the same seed

is scattered everywhere, right? It's not. It's not something.

Nothing's changed about the seed. The seed does not change, the

soil does. Jesus identifies the seed as the word of God. We'll

see that here in verse number 14 it says. Sorry, verse number 13.

And he said to them, know ye not this parable? And how then will

ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. And these

are they by the wayside where the Word is sown. But when they have

heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word

that was sown in their hearts. So Jesus identifies the seed as the

Word here in verse number 13 and 14. And the different soils reveal

different conditions of the human heart. The wayside cannot retain

seed, the stony ground cannot root the seed, and the thorny ground

cannot give room for the seed. But the good ground receives it,

keeps it, and bears fruit. Tonight, I'd like to talk to you

about the three actions to cultivate the soil in our hearts.

Three actions to cultivate the soil in our Hearts. Number one, stay

in the field. Look at verse number 15 again. It says, and these

are they by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they have

heard, Satan cometh immediately. There's the key word

there. That word. That word immediately and taketh away the word

that was sown in. In their hearts. Isn't that interesting? The

first problem that Jesus addresses is not the ones that take

hold of the seed. It's the ones that have it for a split second.

And then Satan just comes. I'll take that. Why? Why is it so

easy for him to take the word from their hearts? Perhaps it's because

they don't have a good grip. Maybe they should put some gloves

on. Perhaps they fumbled it or something, it fell on the ground.

No, no, no. The problem was is that Satan has them. The word is

not getting to them. Because Satan's word has taken priority.

Their flesh has taken priority. The sin in their life has

taken priority. The Word is not reaching them. You see, the wayside

is the ground that has been walked over until it becomes hard.

The seed lands there, but it never penetrates. Before it can take

root, the birds carry it away. Jesus warns that Satan works in the

same way. Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word

that was sown their hearts. So we should be guarding our hearts

from the enemy. Recognize the thief that he is. Satan does not

want the Word merely ignored. He wants it removed. Whenever God's

Word is preached, taught, read or remembered, there is an enemy

who would love to snatch it away before it even has a chance

to change us. And how true that is in our world today. You look

all around America, all around Europe, Asia. Satan has so many hearts

in his hands that the Word isn't even able to have the ability

to change them now. Yes, I know the Word still has the power.

Don't get me wrong there. But the problem is, is that Satan, they're

letting Satan get in the way. You see, as Christians, we still

have the same problem. We're supposed to be resisting the thief.

Don't allow God's word to. To remain on the surface. Receive it,

meditate on it, memorize it, obey it, breathe it in, dine from

it, rest upon it. That's what God's Word is there for. The problem

is we like to rely on so many other things other than the Word

of God, you see. Remain where the seed is sown. The promise to

many Christians have removed themselves from the field. They've

removed themselves on that good ground. They're on the wayside,

you see. Hold to the Word. Don't wander into the wayside when

culture, temptation, feelings or circumstances contradict Scripture.

Remain anchored to what God has said. Harden not your heart.

A path becomes hard because it is continually walked upon. Likewise,

repeated rejection of God's voice and can make the heart increasingly

insensitive to his very word. Isn't that sad? There is a problem

in our churches today. The problem is that we have let our hearts

become the wayside. We've let our hearts become hard. And the seed

does not penetrate. It doesn't get nurtured. And here comes Satan

to take it away. You see, in Psalm 119:11 it says, Thy word have

Psalms 119:11

I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee. In James

James 1:21

1:21 at the very end of that verse, it says, receive with meekness

the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. The problem

is, is that we have too many Christians that look at the Bible

today and say, ah, it's old fashioned, it doesn't always apply

to me. It's not relevant today. Oh, but the influencers, yeah,

they know what they're talking about. The motivational speakers

that come to my kid's school. Yeah, they got it figured out. The

politicians, they got it all figured out. I only listen to this

guy, this guy, this guy, this her, her, it doesn't matter. The

problem is they are not a substitute for the Word of God. So

stay on the proper soil, avoid the wayside. Number two, break through

the stones. Break through the stones. Look at verse number 16,

it says here, and these are they likewise which are sown on stony

ground, who when they have heard the Word, immediately receive

it with gladness. That's a good thing. At least they're actually

receiving the Word. But there's another problem in this heart,

and we'll see right here in verse number 17, and have no root

in themselves and so endure, but for a time afterward, when affliction

or persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are

offended. Isn't that sad? And how true is that about a lot of modern

day Christians today? It's a shallow Christianity nowadays. That's

what's popular. Think about it, there is not much people that

like to come to our type of church because, well, we don't put

on a rock concert, we don't show all the fancy lights. Now maybe

there's a time and place for some of those things, but I think

that we should be very careful about it. But the shallowness of

Christianity has plagued this country, it has plagued our circle

of Christians because those people that claim that they have

such a great relationship with God, a lot of them, when the hard

times come, they reject him as quickly as they did receive him.

They may still be saved, they may still be on their way to heaven,

but they're not living for God. And it says right here in verse

number 18, in verse number 17, when affliction or persecution ariseth

for the Word's sake, this is the stuff that God promises us. It's

gonna happen. If you're a Christian here tonight, God's already

told you you're gonna go through some things. I hate to tell

you this, it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows every single

time, but the problem is, is that we've fed to our Christians,

we've fed to so many people that Christianity is just all about,

oh, it's just, it's so nice, it's so, it's so formal, it's so.

What's the word? It's so elegant, it's so, it's so. It's joyful.

Yes, but it's the happiness about it that they have that it's

the shallow happiness. This is kind of what I'm getting at. It's

the glamour. It's what it looks like on the surface. They say,

I thought my life would get better and it should, yes, with salvation.

But that does not mean you're not going to go through some things.

I've met so many people. I remember one person that I witnessed

to when I was out in California and her husband was there

and we were just out door knocking. And I remember talking

to her and I was sharing the gospel with her in her driveway and

she was kind of getting ready to leave and she was kind of being

polite, listening to me, and I was kind of asking her some questions.

And I kind of got to the point where I said, well, is that something

you would like to know more about salvation speaking? Would you

like to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? It's very simple.

All you have to do is put your full faith and trust in him and you

are saved. And the problem that she had was that she did not

think God could save her from what she did. She looked at Christianity

as that shallow. You see, the stony ground receives the word with

gladness. But there is something missing underneath. There

is enthusiasm without the depth, profession without foundation

and growth without root. Then trouble comes and what sprang up

that quickly withers away that quickly. So what should we do? We

should develop a deep rooted faith in the word of God. Go deeper

than just the emotional side of things. Have faith built only

if the faith only built on the excitement of everything. When, when

things aren't as exciting. What are you going to do then? A

faith built only on excitement will struggle when excitement disappears.

Christianity cannot merely be something we feel. It must be something

we are rooted in. Establish biblical convictions. Know not only

what you believe, but why you believe it. I appreciate that. When

I asked my parents why, they did not say because I said so. I

appreciate that about my parents. They would give me an actual

reason and what that did is that helped me to understand the

reason behind it. There's a lot of churches in America today

that aren't telling their people why. Isn't that a shame? Why

wouldn't we tell them why? It needs to be deeper than just the

emotion. It needs to be deeper than just what's on the surface.

Know not only what you believe, but why you believe it.

Hold to your convictions. Maintain biblical standards. Plant

yourself deeply in God's truth, not your own truth. Stand

when the heat comes. I like how Jesus says it. In verse number

six, it says, but when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because

it had no root, it withered away. That's the adversity. Expect

it. Jesus did not say if affliction or persecution arose.

He said when it did. Trials do not necessarily mean something has

gone wrong. They often reveal how deeply our roots have grown.

When I went. When me and my wife went through my son's heart

surgery and that whole saga of the year of him battling that, we

prayed hard that God would fix it and that he wouldn't have to have

heart surgery, man, it took a lot of faith that I did not have.

And I'm ashamed I did not have the faith that I should have had.

Maybe God would have done something. Maybe he wouldn't have

had to. Maybe he still would have. But I also at the same time,

wanted God to use that experience in my life to grow me

and my faith. And it did. And it probably won't be the only thing

I will go through. Right? I've gone through other, smaller things,

but that's probably been one of the biggest things I've ever had

to go through, you see, Endure the adversity. And the way we do

that is that we're to root ourselves in God's word. Don't let

hard times wither what God has planted. When the heat rises, send

your roots deeper into God's word. Take your stand for Christ

and refuse to be moved. Jeremiah 17, 7 through 8 says, for

he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and goes on to say,

neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Colossians 2, 6,

7 says, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so

walk ye in him and get this right here rooted and built up in

him. The problem is we have not rooted ourselves into Jesus Christ.

We've chosen to root ourselves in what we want. And the things that

we think are sturdy, the things that we think that will give

us nutrition and it will nurture us. It's the stuff that feels

good, not the stuff that points out where I've gone wrong.

We must be careful. A shallow faith may spring up quickly, but

only a rooted faith will survive the heat. Number three, cut

away the thorns. In verse number 18, it says right here, and

these are they which are sown among thorns such as hear the Word

and the cares of this world. This is probably the saddest verse

right here. And the cares of this world and the deceitfulness

of riches and the lusts of other things entering in choked the

Word, and unfortunately, it became unfruitful. Perhaps this is

the most deceptive soil because the seed actually does grow.

It actually is rooted. Here's the problem, though. Something else

is growing with it, and eventually the competing growth will

take over. Jesus names the thorns the cares of this world and

the deceitfulness of riches. Not the riches, but the deceitfulness

of it and the lusts of other things that we're entering in. Right?

So we should identify what is choking the Word from our life. What

is in your life tonight that is preventing you from allowing the

seed of God's Word bring fruit in your life. What's festering inside

your heart, what's gone sick? Examine the distractions that you

have. Again, not every thorn, right, Looks wicked. Right? You know,

we all have work. Some of us enjoy sports and certain entertainments

and hobbies and social media and relationships and recreation.

And all these have legitimate places, right? But they become thorns

when they crowd out God and God's Word. So we should examine

our desires. Jesus specifically warns about riches and

the lust of other things. We must ask ourselves, what occupies

my thoughts, what receives my time, and what captures my affection?

One of the biggest problems I've seen, especially the younger

generations, is that they are a distracted one. I had the privilege

of coaching high school basketball, middle school basketball.

I did a little bit of high school baseball here at the school,

and I really enjoyed it. I love coaching. I've told people this

is kind of me. There's three versions of me. There is Noah, which

that's what my friends and family call me. There's Brother Day,

and that's kind of the ministry part. And then there's Coach

Day. And that. Coach Day is a different person. All right? So.

But again, it's because, if anyone knows, I can get pretty intense

with my coaching at times because I care. I'm compassionate

about the sport. I think it's a good thing to want to strive for

something, to strive for success and to strive to do better.

But what I've noticed in a lot of our generations is that there

was less of a drive to want to compete and that there would be distractions

in their life. And, sure, maybe sports is not that important.

I understand that. But I've seen it in a Sunday school. I've

seen it in Children's church. I've seen it in masters clubs. I've

seen it on bus rides. And I'm not saying that all those things

are bad that are quote unquote distractions, but it does remind

me too. How distracted do I get? See, it's easy for us to look

at someone else and say, man, they're just so distracted. The thorns

in their life is choking the spirit out of them. And when I do

self reflection in my own life, I find that I'm riddled with

thorns. Thorns. Remove what competes with God. Cut away unnecessary

distractions. Some things do not need to be managed, they need

to be removed. If something continually chokes your prayer life,

Bible reading, whatever, church attendance, your giving, your

service, whatever it is, cut it back, cut it away, be rid of it.

It's choking the spirit out of you. It's choking God's influence

on you. Restore Christ to his rightful place. God is not my co

pilot. He's my pilot. The goal isn't merely having fewer distractions.

The goal is making more room for God. You see, a lot of times

we have a lot of Christians and teenagers that go to youth camp,

we have kids that go to junior camp, and we have people go to these

conferences. And the biggest problem is that they cut all the

thorns back, but they don't fill it in with more God. And that's

something we have to do every single day of our lives, every single

moment. Pray without ceasing, get into the word of God. It's your

love letter. That's why I tell my kids in Sunday school and children's

church, this is God's love letter to you. Why wouldn't you not

want to read it? We aren't clearing the field to leave it empty.

We're clearing it so the Word can flourish. In Jeremiah 4. 3, it

says, Break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns.

In Hebrews 12:1 2, it says, Let us lay aside every weight, and

Hebrews 12:1

the sin that doth so easily beset us. And it says this, looking

unto Jesus, what are you looking to? What are you looking

to? I suppose people all throughout the country would have

a different answer. But here's the thing. Here's the most saddest

part. I think if we were honest, us as Christians would all

have a different answer too. If you don't cut down the thorns,

eventually the thorns, he'll choke the fruit. So cultivate the

good ground. Verse 20. And these are they which are sown on

good ground, such as hear the Word and receive it, and Bring forth

fruit. Some 30 fold, some 60 fold, and some. Basically, what Jesus

is saying is that some people will produce more fruit, some people

produce less. But God just wants to see the fruit being produced

in your life. The good ground doesn't merely need, doesn't merely

hear the Word, it receives the Word and it produces something. Right?

The 30 fold, 60, the hundred. Where's your seed falling tonight?

If I was honest with myself, my seed has fallen in all three of

these too often than I'd like to admit. My heart was not ready

because. And it was because of my fault. I let my heart get hard.

I have pushed God out of my life at times. And of course His

Word didn't get to me because Satan just came right by and thank

you for that. You don't need that. And unfortunately, there's

been some stones in my life that I've left there, that hard ground

that that seed can't get in. It'll plant, but it's shallow. I'm

quick to point the finger back at God and say, why would you let

this happen to me? And I've let thorns enter my life and choke

the fruit from it. In John 15:5, it says, he that abideth in

John 15:5

me and I in him the same bringeth forth fruit. But this is

the best word in there, much fruit. Do you want to do something

for God tonight? Abide in him. It's. The problem is not that God's.

That God's gone too far away from us. It's that we've walked too

far away from him and His Word. We've got to get back to God,

get back to His Word again. I want to recall us back to what we

talked about again. There's nothing wrong with the seed. There's

nothing wrong with God's Word. Unfortunately, so many Christians,

so many people have said the Bible is irrelevant for this day

and age. The Bible doesn't apply to me. It doesn't apply to

my family. And how false that is. Because it's not the seed, it's

the heart. It's the ground it falls on. The seed is good. The seed

is powerful. My favorite. The seed is alive. The question is, what

kind of soil are you giving it? Stay in the fields so Satan can't

steal it. Break through the stones so trials can't wither it

and cut away the thorn so the world cannot choke it. And then let

God's Word sink deep enough into your heart that your life begins

producing the fruit that God intended for it to produce. I'll

leave you with this Luke 8:15 but on the good ground are they which

Luke 8:15

in an honest and good heart having heard the word, keep it and

bringeth forth fruit with patience as our musicians get ready

I think if we were honest with ourselves tonight there's a good

chance that one of these soils is in your heart. I think if we were

honest with ourselves tonight we would come to this altar and we'd

say lord fix my ground fix the soil in my life. I want my seed to

be planted on good ground and I want to produce fruit your fruit

that you intended. Let's all stand. Hymn Number 298 after we pray

Lord I just thank you so much for this sermon Lord. Thank you for

speaking to me Lord and using it in a mighty way in my life Lord

help me to be careful of my heart and the soil that's in it Lord

I pray you bless this time of invitation In Jesus name I pray Amen.