MARK 4:3-9, 14-20

1. GOD SOWS SEED EXPECTING TO REAP A HARVEST:
1. That's self evident. When God sends His Word out through whatever means, it is His intent that it would produce a super harvest in, and through, those who receive it.
2. If we have received His Word, the seed, God expects our lives to be fruitful. Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ... My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to My Father." John 15:1-2, 8 (NLT). He wants our lives to be fruitful and to count for time and eternity.
1. He expects our lives to be filled with good works, generosity and service to others.
2. He expects us to be living by Godly ethics, Biblical morality and unswerving integrity.
3. He expects us to make a positive impact on our home, our school, our workplace, our neighborhood, our society.
4. He expects us to be reaching others for Christ and reaping a harvest in the field of the world.
3. And God not only expects us to be fruitful, but He provides what we need to produce a harvest: Paul wrote, "God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, 'Godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten.' For God is the One Who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will give you many opportunities to do good, and He will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously." 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (NLT). God gives to us so we can give to others. That's part of the harvest He expects.
4. My dad used to love growing figs. Now, personally, I hated those fig trees. They smelled bad, they attracted wasps and figs don't taste really good unless they are dried. But dad loved them. I used to think he was goofy, though. He'd whack those trees back until they were mostly stumps. He'd killed them for sure. But next spring, they would grow rapidly and produce figs like crazy. Dad wanted trees that produced a lot of fruit. He expected a harvest. So does God.

God sows seed to reap a harvest but

2. HEARTS THAT ARE NOT RIGHT FAIL TO PRODUCE A HARVEST:
1. Jesus speaks of soils, but the soils represent different heart conditions.
1. There is the hard soil that represents the heart that is unyielding and calloused to the things of God.
2. There is the shallow, rocky soil that represents the heart that receives the Word but is superficial, short lived and unproductive.
3. There is the thorny soil that represents the heart that receives the Word but is so full of worry and materialism that the Word cannot grow.
4. There is the fertile soil that represents the heart that gladly receives the Word and produces a manifold harvest.
2. The first three represent hearts that are not right and from which God receives no harvest. How do hearts get into that unfruitful condition?
1. Hearts grow hard and impervious when we resist the Holy Spirit and fail to yield our wills to God's. When we disobey His Word, when we are indifferent to the things of God, little by little we harden.
2. Hearts become shallow and rocky when we never let the Word go below the surface. We accept it mentally and academically but never allow it to work its work of salvation. It happens when we want partial commitment, convenience Christianity and superficial sainthood. Barclay said, "The fact is that with Christianity it is a case of all or nothing. A man is safe only when he has given himself in total commitment to Christ."
3. Hearts become ensnared in the thorns when we buy into the philosophy that life consists in the abundance of possessions. We become entangled and fruitless when we live by, "he who dies with the most toys wins." Barclay said, " "It is easy to pack life with such a multiplicity of interests that there is no time left for Christ." Things that draw off so much of our attention, interest, energy, time and money that only the dregs of life remain for Christ are the thorns.
3. These heart conditions render us fruitless because the Word is not fully accepted and is not the prime influence in our lives. Other things are more important, other things dominate, other things take first place. And God reaps no harvest.
4. A man had an orchard and noticed that one of his trees was producing less and less fruit. He worked with it, fertilized it and hoped it would begin to produce. However, each season it produced less and its foliage was scant. A wind finally blew it over and revealed the problem: the tree was rotten at the center - the heart - it was slowly dying and was finally fruitless. How is your heart? How is your harvest?

God sows seed to reap a harvest, but hearts that are not right fail to produce a harvest, still, there is good news:

3. IF OUR HEARTS ARE RIGHT, GOD CAN EXPECT A GREAT HARVEST:
1. There is a condition of heart that is soft, pliable, humble, eager to learn, quick to obey and ready to follow. This is a heart that produces a manifold harvest.
2. Note: "the good soil represents those who hear and accept God's message and produce a huge harvest - thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted." We do not produce the same harvest but all must produce some harvest. God is as pleased with the thirty fold producer as He is with the hundred fold producer if the thirty is the best we can do.
3. How do our hearts become this receptive soil?
1. It takes a decision on our part. The Bible says, "You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. But never forget the warning: 'Today you must listen to His voice. Don't harden your hearts against Him as Israel did when they rebelled." Hebrews 3:13-15 (NLT). The author said,
1. Don't be deceived by sin. Keep your eyes open to Satan's misleading and deceitful ways.
2. Be faithful to the end, trusting God firmly. No matter what attacks our faith, or suggests doubt: believe.
3. Be obedient and not rebellious. Whether you like what God commands or not still obey.
2. It takes the work of God on penitent, humble hearts.
1. With David, pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:10 (NLT).
2. When we do, God says, "I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command." Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT).
4. Two girls went into the forest for a picnic. They met a little man who said, "Im very hungry. Could you spare an old man a bite of lunch?" One of the girls said, "No! I have nothing for you! Leave us alone!" The other, however, said, "I have more than enough. Of course I will share with you." The man, an angel in disguise, said to the first girl, "For your selfishness and unkindness, from this day forth, whatever you do until you learn unselfishness, will fail." And to the second girl he said, "And for your generosity and kindness, whatever you do for the rest of your life will prosper." One had a bad heart and reaped no harvest; the other had a good heart, and her harvest was plenteous. A good heart always produces a harvest.

Don't disappoint God: Produce a harvest. What has this to do with Taking God At His Word and Expecting A Harvest? When we live productive lives, when our lives count for God, He pours into our lives blessing after blessing, grace after grace, good thing after good thing. When we are producing a harvest for Him, we can expect a harvest from Him in return. Investing in His work always pays a major dividend. We never out-give or out-do God. If we produce for Him, He produces for us. All of us who regularly give will experience times where they see no obvious harvest and doubts, discouragement, and the temptation arises to stop giving altogether assail us. But, remember, it is not a case of if a harvest comes but when it comes. Paul wrote, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 (NIV). if you have been honoring God financially He will honor you. Will you trust Him today? Will you surrender all you have and are to Him? If you do, you can boldly and confidently Take God At His Word And Expect A Harvest.

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