Introduction

Human problem: Mark 3:5, After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their HARDNESS of heart…
Poroo : CALLUS

Mark 3, EVERYBODY DISBELIEVES!
Vs. 1-6 & 22-30, The Pharisees,

Vs. 7-12, The Crowds,

Vs. 20-21 & 31-35, Jesus Family,

13-19, The Disciples, 6:52, 8:17,

Mark 4, THE SOLUTION:
He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Oida : To know INTELLECTUALLY

How will you understand all the parables?
Ginosko : To know EXPERIENTIALLY

14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

All four soils encourage or discourage: DEPTH

So What?!

The Solution: How I take responsibility for my heart?

All four soils encourage or discourage: DEPTH

#1. The hard-hearted need to remove the calluses.

#2. The shallow-hearted need specific faithfulness.

#3. The half-hearted need to choose fewer commitments.

#4. The goal is mature whole-heartedness.

The Kingdom Attitude:

I will take responsibility for my heart:

________________________________________!
(sign your name)

Everybody Qualifies
Mark 3 & 4, August 17 & 20, 2023, Pastor Ed Kemp

Prayer Requests:


Read: Mark 3-4:20 (Notice how many times Jesus uses the word, “immediately,” in 4:1-20)

As you read Mark 3, notice all the opposition to Jesus, yet right in the middle He appoints 12 disciples! There’s a tremendous contrast between those who trust or believe in Jesus and those who don’t. How would you describe the cultural, moral and ethical differences between those who believe in Jesus today and those who don’t?

Use your phone and look up on Wikipedia or other places what the definition of a parable is. What did you find? What are the most popular parables and is the parable of the soils/sower among them? Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43 the parable of the wheat and tares is the only other parable that Jesus explains. Why do you think Jesus told so many stories? How do stories impact the way we learn?

Review what the types of soils represent. Why or how do people get: hard-hearted, shallow-hearted, half-hearted and whole-hearted? Jesus is explaining the one right way to receive the Word of God and a relationship with God. One person cannot have all four soils in different areas of their life. How we respond to God’s Word is crucial. How do you need to improve in hearing and implementing God’s Word in your life?

Jesus uses the word, “immediately,” in Mark 4 to express urgency, why is urgency such an important issue for this parable?

Family Time: Ask your kids to go in the closet with you, take a flashlight and a Bible. Sit in the dark and then ask them, “Why can’t we read the Bible?” Turn on the flashlight and read Mark 3:21. Ask them to tell you about all the good things for which light can be used. What are the good things that Jesus brings to our lives?