The Parable of the Seed Growing!“The kingdom of God is as if a

man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and

grows; he knows not how.” (Mk. 4:26-27)

“Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal

has four hundred and fifty prophets.” (1 Kings 18:22)

▪It is often times we feel this way, nobody cares any more, nobody wants to listen!

▪Elijah felt all alone (cf. 1 Kings 19:10 “I alone am left” but God rebukes him in vs. 18)▸1 King. 19:18 "Yet I have reserved seven thousand

in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

We preach/teach the Word and then there is little response from sinner or

saint and we become discouraged!▪The message of life is shared with those in sin and

yet they reject it!▪The light of salvation is given to them in darkness

and they hide from it!▪We labor in the Word of God, seeking the message

of God for His people, and when it is preached no one seems to care!

▪The glory of Christ and His church is preached and people act as if it is the most boring news they have heard all week!

The parable we are going to study today is really all about “hope!”

▪This parable teaches us that the Gospel Seed has power! Amazing power! (Rom. 1:16)

▪There is a work that is being done unseen from our eyes, but being brought about by God!

▪When the Gospel is shared from the pulpit or our personal lives, there is a mysterious work of God taking place even though it is hidden from our eyes!

I. A Steadfast Work! Mk. 4:26-27 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if

a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and

grow, he himself does not know how.▪When the farmer has sown the seed he has done

all that “he” can do!▪“He” places the seed in the soil and then “he”

must leave it there to do what “it” will do!▪For the farmer this is very much a work of faith!

He may water it, he may remove weeds, he may keep the soil worked up, but he must not disturb the seed!

The farmer’s task is to sow the seed, when he has done this he has fulfilled his primary

duty!▪There is a sense in which we are to be like the

farmer, we have been called to sow the seed!▸Mt. 28:18-20▸Mk. 16:15-16▸Act. 1:8▪Our job is to sow the message of hope and God’s job

is to work in the hearts of men!▸Too many of us often want to be heart surgeons when

God has called us to be farmers!

II. A Secret Work! Mk. 4:27-28 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. "For the earth yields crops by itself: first the

blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.”

▪For a time there appears to be nothing in the field and then we start to see life! A-men!!!

▪We cannot see the process the seed is going through underground, we only see when it breaks through the ground and brings forth new life!

The power of God’s Word in the hearts of men!

Is. 55:10-11"For as the rain comes down, & the snow from heaven, & do not return there, But water the earth, & make it bring forth & bud, That it may give seed to

the sower & bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me

void, But it shall accomplish what I please, & it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

▪No farmer, no scientist, no philosopher can fully explain how a dead, dormant seed can produce life when it is planted but it does!

III. A Successful Work! Mk. 4:28-29 "For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. "But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

▪All the farmer had to do was cast some seed into the soil and the sit back wait as he went about his daily activities!

▪The seed germinated, pushed back the soil, the sun shined upon it, rain watered it, the soil continued to provide nutrients and the plant continued to grow until it too produced fruit!

Never think for a minute that our work in the Lord is in vain!

1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

▪When we do our part, we can know that God will continue to do His part!▸Gal. 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for

in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.▸1 Cor. 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God

gave the increase.

The message here for us is to never give up, keep sowing seed and trusting God to

produce the harvest!▪We must never stop telling the lost world

about the Savior! He is their only hope!▸Act, 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other,

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

▪The one we least expect maybe the one we get to see push away the earth, and spring to life before us!

Conclusion:▪Your job and my job is not to save, but to

share with them the message of the Savior!▪We are simply in the sowing and watering

business, God is in the growth bringing business!

▪When the seed finds it’s way into the right soil, a work of God begins which bring life out of death!▸1 Cor. 15:36 Foolish one, what you sow is

not made alive unless it dies.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few!” (Mt. 9:37)