The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)

Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29) 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. "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." (NKJV)

Parable of the Soils (Luke 8:15 NKJV) "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

The Seed, The Word of God is Powerful! “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:3) (1 Peter 1:22-25) Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (NKJV)

The Seed, The Word of God is Powerful! (1 Peter 2:1-2) Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, (NKJV)

The Seed, The Word of God is Powerful! (James 1:21) Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (NKJV)

The Seed, The Word of God is Powerful! (John 6:63) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)

The Seed, The Word of God is Powerful! (Hebrews 4:12) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJV) (John 6:63) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)

Why the Word is so Powerful: (1 Corinthians 3:5-7) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (NKJV)

Why the Word is so Powerful: (James 5:7) Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. (NKJV)

Lessons From the Parable of the Growing Seed: Jesus’ disciples are called to labor together to 1) learn the truth and 2) share it with others. But for all of our efforts, we are merely the messengers of the word, God is the one who gives the increase. The result of what His word does within a persons life: May take some time (so be patient) May depend on God “watering,” that is doing things in His own time – working in their lives as He sees fit, when He sees fit and how He sees fit. The parable illustrates that the power is in the word of God, not man.

Lessons From the Parable of the Growing Seed: (Romans 1:16-17) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."