The Sower and the Sifter

Mark 4:1-20

About the Sermon

Jesus is a good teacher, right? Then why so many diverse responses to his teaching? Shouldn’t he be the most persuasive, most compelling, and most agreeable preacher ever? In Mark’s gospel we find a host of responses to Jesus. We find the same in our own day. We find the same in our own hearts! In Mark 4:1–20, Jesus takes up the task of explaining why the Word seems effective at times and ineffective at others. But this is no simple lesson. It’s a lesson that will shake up our own understanding of how the Word works

About the Series

Mark began his gospel with the words of the prophets, who told of a day when the Lord would come to his temple, and when he would deliver his people from sin. He also composed his gospel with a deliberate geographical movement from Galilee to Jerusalem. Why did he do that? To show us that the Lord’s path leads to his enthronement on a cross. But there is a second reason: to show us our path. The path of discipleship— the path of those who would follow Jesus—has a cross in it as well. Our fates are bound up with his. Thankfully, this path does not end with suffering, but with resurrection and life. This is a book written about discipleship for disciples like us.
Mark began his gospel with the words of the prophets, who told of a day when the Lord would come to his temple, and when he would deliver his people from sin. He also composed his gospel with a deliberate geographical movement from Galilee to Jerusalem. Why did he do that? To show us that the Lord’s path leads to his enthronement on a cross. But there is a second reason: to show us our path. The path of discipleship— the path of those who would follow Jesus—has a cross in it as well. Our fates are bound up with his. Thankfully, this path does not end with suffering, but with resurrection and life. This is a book written about discipleship for disciples like us.

Sermons in the Series