Sermon #16 Series:
Mark
Title: SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Text: Mark 4:26-29
Readings: Office:
Larry Criss Auditorium: Rex
Bartley
Subject: Growing in Grace
Date: Sunday Evening - March 23, 1997
Tape # T-54
Introduction:
My subject tonight is Spiritual Growth. Many of you were able
to relate to the hymn we sang this morning.
“I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.
`Twas He Who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.
I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And, by His love’s constraining power,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart,
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.
Yea, more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried;
“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“`Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.
“These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou mayest seek thine all in Me.”
John
Newton
Those words describe what many of us
have experienced. Realizing that, you will understand how very unfit I feel my
self to be to instruct anyone in the matter of spiritual growth. However, that
is the subject before us in Mark 4:26-29.
Mark 4:26-29 "And he said,
So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; (27) And should sleep, and rise night
and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. (28) For the earth bringeth forth fruit
of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. (29) But when the fruit is brought
forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."
In these verses, Mark records one of our Lord’s parables
that none of the other gospel writers was inspired to record. It was delivered
by our Master shortly after the parable of the sower, just before the parable
of the mustard seed. This parable about spiritual growth was delivered
immediately after our Lord said, “with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.” If we have reason to
hope we are Christians, we ought to be very interested in the teachings of our
Lord in this parable. It is deeply instructive. “It summons us,” wrote J.C. Ryle, “to an examination of our
experience in divine things.”
Proposition:` This parable sets
before us a history of God’s work of grace in chosen sinners.
Divisions: Our
Lord here uses the growth of a grain
of a tiny seed into a strong and fruitful plant, to teach us four specific
lessons about every believer’s growth in grace.
1.
As the growth of corn requires that someone sow the seed, in
God’s work of grace in his kingdom, there must be a sower to sow the precious
seed of the gospel.
2.
In the growing of corn and in the work of grace, there is
much that is beyond man’s comprehension and control.
3.
In both the cultivation of corn and in the work of grace
life is made manifest gradually, by degrees.
4.
In both the cultivation of corn and the kingdom of God there
is both seedtime and a time for harvest.
Let’s look at these four lessons
together, praying that God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Mark to record this
parable, will be our Teacher.
I. As the growth of corn requires that someone sow the
seed, in God’s work of grace in his kingdom, there must be a sower to sow the
precious seed of the gospel.
Mark 4:26 "And he said,
So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;"
As you all know, the earth never
brings forth corn on its own. Left to itself, since the sin and fall of our
father Adam, this sin-cursed earth brings forth nothing but weeds, and briars,
and thorns. This produces weeds, but never wheat, thorns, but never corn. The
hard earth must be broken up by the farmer’s plow and harrow. The seed must be
sown by the hand of man. Otherwise, there would be no harvest.
So it is with the heart of man. No man
left to himself would ever turn to God in repentance, believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and obey the Word of God. The heart of man is totally depraved, void of
all that is spiritual, good, righteous, and gracious. Man, by nature is dead in
trespasses and in sins, spiritually dead. The heart of man is enmity against
God. No sinner is capable of any righteous, spiritual activity. A dead man can
do nothing for himself. His condition is altogether and utterly helpless.
The Son of God must break up the
fallow ground of the depraved heart by his Spirit. He must sow the seed of life
by his power, as his servants scatter the precious seed, and create life in the
dead sinner. Otherwise the lovely plant of grace will never spring to life in
the city of Mansoul.
Grace in the heart of man is an exotic
plant. It is an altogether new thing. It comes down from heaven. Left to
himself, no man would ever even know his need of Christ, much less seek after
him. Grace, righteousness, and spiritual life, inward godliness, is the work of
God alone.
Yet, in this parable, and throughout
the New Testament, our Lord teaches us that in communicating grace God works by
appointed means – The Preaching Of The Gospel! Those who despise the appointed
means and yet hope to obtain God’s grace might just as well expect to see a
field of corn grow in an uncultivated jungle, where no seed has been sown.
A.
The man in this parable is a gospel preacher, one who is
sent forth by Christ, bearing precious seed.
B.
The Seed sown is the Word of God, the Gospel of God’s free
and sovereign grace in Christ.
1 Peter 1:23-25 "Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever. (24) For
all flesh is as grass, and all the
glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower
thereof falleth away: (25) But the
word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you."
It is, John Gill wrote, “so called for its smallness, the diminutive character
it bears, and contempt it is had in by some; and for its choiceness and
excellency in itself, and in the account of others; and for its generative virtue under a divine influence. The Gospel is like the manna, which was
a small round thing, as a coriander seed; and as that was contemptible in the
eyes of the Israelites, so the preaching of the Gospel is, to them that perish,
foolishness; and yet it is choice and precious seed in itself, and to those who
know the value of it, by whom it is preferred to thousands of gold and silver.
As worthless and unpromising as it may seem to be, it has a divine virtue put
into it; and, under the influence of powerful and efficacious grace, it is the
means of regenerating souls, and produces fruit in them, which will remain unto
everlasting life. Yet, as the seed is of no use this way, unless it is sown in
the earth, and covered there; so is the Gospel of no use for regeneration,
unless it is by the power of God let into the heart, and received there, where,
through that power, it works effectually.”
C.
Casting
the seed into the earth is the preaching of the gospel.
a.
Plenty of seed is cast.
b.
It is skillfully cast.
c.
The Seed is sown in faith.
Faithful gospel preachers do not spread divers and strange
doctrines. Their ministry is all of apiece. They all see eye to eye (Isa.
52:7-8). They always sow the same precious seed, without any mixture of the
tares of free will, works religion. God’s servants do not deal out the truths
of the gospel in a narrow and niggardly way. They do not restrain and conceal
any part of Holy Scripture. They proclaim pure gospel truth from the housetop
and set before their hearers the whole counsel of God.
“Though there may be many discouragements (that) attend
them, many temptations arise to put off from sowing the word; the weather bad,
storms and tempests arise, reproaches and persecutions come thick and fast,
still they go on; using all that heavenly skill, prudence, and discretion God
has given them, preaching the word in season, and out of season; and when they
have done, they leave their work with the Lord, knowing that Paul may plant,
and Apollos water, but it is God only that gives the increase.” John Gill
D.
The ground into which
the Seed is cast are the different hearers of the Word.
In this parable, our Lord is describing those who hear and
receive the gospel as seed sown in good ground. Those whose hearts are broke up
by the Spirit of God, the stoniness of them taken away, are made receptive
hearers of the good Word of God.
II. In the growing of corn and in the work of grace,
there is much that is beyond man’s comprehension and control.
Mark 4:27 "And should
sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he
knoweth not how."
Look
at this verse line by line. It speaks of three things common to farmers and
gospel preachers: Confident Sleep,
Diligent Watchfulness, and Divine Sovereignty.
A.
Confident Sleep
This is not talking about natural
sleep. Our Lord is teaching spiritual lessons, not natural lessons. Yet, he
certainly is not talking about slothfulness. The sleep mentioned here may refer
either to the sleep of death or to the confidence of faith.
1.
Our Lord may be talking here about the sleep of death.
Frequently, the fruitfulness of a
faithful man’s labors is not known until after he sleeps in his Master’s arms.
The churches and people among whom and for whom he has faithfully labored bring
forth fruit after he has been taken from the scene.
Illustration: A.W. Pink
Rolfe Barnard
2.
Perhaps it is best to interpret our Lord’s words as
referring to the confidence of faith in which faithful men labor.
Faithful men believe God. They labor
with confidence and satisfaction, leaving the work in God’s hands. They are
confident that God who sent his Word will make his Word fruitful. Thus, when
the day is done, they sit down with the confidence of faith, with the
satisfying security that their labors will be fruitful in the souls of men, in
the kingdom of God, and for the glory of God. God’s servants do not despair of
success. They know that they shall be successful!
B.
Diligent Watchfulness
Like diligent farmers, faithful pastor’s “rise night and day.” They constantly
attend to their work. It is always on their minds. It is a weight in their
souls and a burden in their hearts. It never leaves them.
C.
Divine
Sovereignty
Though he labors with great care, “the springs and grows up, he knoweth not
how.” The general, broad facts are obvious. You have to have good seed and
plenty of it. The seed must be sown in good ground. Yet, no farmer can command
the grain to grow, keep the crows from stealing it, or even tell you exactly
what corn is in all of its components, though he knows corn when he sees it. He
cannot tell you exactly when the corn sprang to life; but he knows whether the
seed has sprung to life. He cannot define what life is; but he can discern it.
The fact is, whether he knows it or not, every good farmer
exemplifies faith in and resignation to the sovereign will of God. He labors
with great diligence, sows his seed with great care, and waits for God to give
the increase.
So it is in the works of grace in the hearts of chosen
sinners. The greatest abilities, the most powerful preaching, and the most
diligent labors cannot command success. Only God can give life to dead sinners
(John 3:8). Yet we labor with confidence, knowing that our only work is to sow
the seed. God alone can and will, as he sees fit, cause the Seed sown to spring
forth into life. “God giveth the
increase!”
III. In both the cultivation of corn and in the work of
grace life is made manifest gradually, by degrees.
Mark 4:28 "For the earth
bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the
full corn in the ear."
Two
things are set before us in this verse.
A.
“The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself.”
Once the seed is sown, and watered,
and fertilized, the farmers work is over. Once the gospel is preached, and
watered, and fertilized by prayer, the preachers work is over. As the
fruitfulness of the earth is God’s production and God’s work, so the fruitfulness
of the Word is God’s production and God’s grace.
Note:
No idiot would imagine that our Lord means for us to understand that our
Lord here means for us to understand that the earth actually produces life.
Yet, many would have us believe that man himself brings forth fruit unto
everlasting life by his own will! Nothing could be further from the truth.
The
whole work of grace in the heart of man, as well as the whole work of grace
performed outside us, is God’s work.
·
Repentance is the
gift of God (Rom. 2:4; Acts 5:30-31).
·
Faith is the gift and
operation of grace (Col. 2:12).
·
Love is the fruit of
the Spirit.
·
Joy is the result of
God’s work in us.
·
Peace is the product
of grace.
·
Sanctification is
God’s work in us, not our work for God!
“All these things are owing to the Spirit, power, and grace
of God. Men are regenerated according to the abundant mercy of God, of water
and of the Spirit, by the word of truth, through the sovereign will and
pleasure of God. They are quickened, who before were dead in trespasses and
sins, and were as dry bones, by the Spirit of God breathing upon them.
Conversion in the first production, is the Lord's work; `turn thou me, and I shall be turned.’ Faith
in Christ is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; and so is repentance unto
life; love is one of the fruits of the Spirit. In short, the whole work of
grace is not by might, nor by power of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord of
hosts; who begins and carries on, and performs it until the day of Christ.
The work of sanctification, is therefore called the
sanctification of the Spirit. It is through him the deeds of the body are
mortified. Indeed, without Christ, believers themselves can do nothing at all;
even cannot perform good works, or do any action that is truly and spiritually
good.
The design is to show, that as the earth without human
power, without the husbandman, under the influence of the heavens, brings forth
fruit; so without human power, without the Gospel minister, the word having
taken root under divine influence, through the sun of righteousness, the dews
of divine grace, and operations of the blessed Spirit, it rises up and brings
forth fruit.” John Gill
B.
Yet, God’s works of grace in us are gradual works.
Nothing
in nature grows suddenly except weeds. The same thing is true in the kingdom of
God. The seed does not burst forth into life as soon as it is sown. The ripe
corn does not appear the day after the first green blade shots out of the
ground. It takes a while. The plant goes through many stages of growth before
it is ready for harvest: “first the
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Yet, in
each stage one thing is true – The plant is living!
In the kingdom of God things are
exactly the same. God’s works of grace in the hearts of his elect proceed by
degrees. None of the Lord’s children are born full grown. None of them are born
with mature and perfect faith, hope, knowledge, and love. It takes us a while
to realize that. Christians are all like
the red wasp, never so big as when they are first born. Our beginning is a “day of small things.” We see in part
and know in part. We see our sinfulness, but only in small measure. We see
Christ’s fulness, but only in small measure. We know that God’s grace is
sufficient, but have no idea how sufficient it will prove to be!
Yet, wherever there is faith, even as
a grain of mustard seed, there is life. Without question, there is weakness and
infirmity; but still there is life. The seed of grace has come up in the heart,
though perhaps only as a tender plant, a tiny blade shooting out of the ground.
There is much instruction here. He
that is wise will lay it to heart. The strongest man was a helpless baby once.
Everything must have a beginning. We must never despise the day of small
things. We must never look upon, or treat, a brother or sister in Christ as
though they are unregenerate because they are weak in faith.
IV. In both the cultivation of corn and the kingdom of
God there is both seedtime and a time for harvest.
Mark 4:29 "But when the
fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the
harvest is come."
There
is a time appointed for the harvest. No farmer thinks of cutting his wheat
while it is green, or gathering his corn before the ears are formed. He waits
for the sun and rain, the heat and cold to do their work. Then, when the golden
grain bows and the ears are full, but not until then, he puts in his sickle and
reaps the harvest. Things are exactly the same in the kingdom of God.
A.
God never gathers his people out of this world until they
are ripe for harvest.
He never takes his chosen until grace has made them ready.
He never removes his elect until their work is done. God’s children always die
at precisely the right time. The great Husbandman never cuts the corn early or
late.
B.
Christ will come at exactly the right time to gather his
harvest out of the world.
When all things are ready, when
everything has been done that God purposed to do, when all the elect are saved,
then the Lord will come again and gather in his harvest.
1.
He is gathering his harvest by gospel preachers today.
2.
He gathers his harvest by his holy angels, as he calls his
elect up to heaven at death.
3.
He shall gather his harvest personally at the last day.
Application:
Carry the teachings and the comfort of this small, but
instructive parable home with you. The next time one of our brothers or sisters
is taken in death, remember this parable. Our Lord only gathers his harvest at
the right time. There are no chances, accidents, or mistakes with our God. God
knows best what to do in his own garden and with his own wheat.
1.
It is our responsibility to sow the seed.
2.
God will give the increase as he sees fit, when he sees fit.
3.
Wherever there is life there is growth.
·
The growth is
gradual.
·
The growth is sure.
·
The growth is God’s
work.
·
Yet, this spiritual
growth is our responsibility.
4.
At God’s appointed time, the harvest will come.