Shabbat Shalom, everyone. Please open your Bibles. Today we are going to read from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4. And we are going to read the first 20 verses of this fourth chapter. So, please follow me at verse 1. And so we read, And he, this is Yeshua, began again to teach by the seaside. And there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea, And the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken! Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside. And the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth. And immediately it sprung up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns. And the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And others fell on good ground and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.

And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?

The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground, who when they have heard the word, immediately received it with gladness and have no root in themselves and so endure but for a time afterward when affliction and persecution arises for the word's sake immediately they are offended and these are they which are sown among thorns such as hear the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word and it becometh unfruitful.

And these are they which are sown on good ground such as hear the word and receive it and bring forth fruit. Some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some hundred. And here I'm stopping with the first 20 verses that are found in Mark chapter 4. Well, these are very, very interesting verses, beloved brothers and sisters. These are the words that our Lord Yeshua the Messiah spoke in Israel, in the northern area of the land of Israel, by the Sea of Galilee, where he was ministering there not too far for Kfar Nachum. He was ministering the word of God to the multitude that came to hear his word. You know, it is so beautiful to see how Yeshua, Jesus, our Messiah, was a teacher of the word of God.

He was an expounder of the word of God. Remind me of Luke chapter 24. When those two disciples who came down from Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus. And he met them on the way. And he explained to them how he was the one that was promised to be the Messiah. And when they returned back they said did not our heart burn within us. When he talked to us by the way. And when he opened unto us the Scripture. This is what the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, Yeshua, the Messiah is doing all the time. He teaches, he preaches, he ministered the word of God. He's expounding and he's teaching things in order that those that hear him will understand the reason that he came down to this earth.

In fact, beloved brothers and sisters, we must remember the context. Text without its context is pretext. Remember that in those days, the church was not found as yet. He's speaking to Israel, our nation, as a nation. In fact, let me just remind you, if you just go back to chapter 1. And in chapter 1, after Yohanan, John, the baptizer, was presenting the Messiah of Israel, and he was presenting the fact that the Messiah is coming, that the Redeemer is coming. And you remember how all Jerusalem and Judea came down to hear what John the baptizer was saying. Then in chapter 1 in verse 14 and 15 we read, Now after that John was put in prison, Yeshua came into Galilee preaching, listen, the gospel of the kingdom of God.

And saying, verse 15, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel, the Besorah. You see, Yeshua, the Messiah himself, was preaching the fact that the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of God, meaning Malchut Ha'Elohim. The king is coming the kingdom is going to be established believe the message of the gospel repent, believe and you will see that the kingdom will be established but we know very well what happened the kingdom could not be established because our people Israel were not ready to accept the king in fact if you remember in chapter 3 which we just finished in our last ministry meeting the leaders of our own people said that what Yeshua was doing in the power of the Spirit of God they said that he did it in the power of Baal Zvuv the prince of the fly the Lord of the fly which was Satan himself well if the leaders of Israel the spiritual leaders of Israel do not accept that he is the Mashiach who is going to establish the kingdom well how can the kingdom will be established and that's why if you remember we said we understood from chapter 3 that they have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit they have blasphemed the Holy Spirit of God saying that Yeshua the Messiah was healing.

And was taking out demons from people that he did it in the power of Satan and because of this the kingdom was postponed. And we live today in the days of what we call the church age. The kingdom is yet to come that was promised to the people of Israel but it had been postponed because Israel is a nation. Our own people did not accept the Mashiach, Yeshua, as his first coming. So Yeshua continued to teach. He's teaching. He's a teacher. You remember that Nakdimon, Nicodemus, came to him and says, we know that our men, a teacher, that came from God. You came from God.

Because no one does the miracles that you are doing. You are a teacher that came from God. So the teacher, the Messiah, who is the servant of the Lord, continuing his teaching. And I tell you, we must learn from the master. We must learn the word of God from the supreme teacher, from the rabbi of the rabbis, the teacher of all teachers. His name is Jesus, is Yeshua. And so in chapter 4, as we arrive to Mark chapter 4, in this beautiful section, verses 1 to 20, the Messiah teaches the parable of the soils. Some call it the parable of the sower, some call it the parable of the seed, but we can see that the sower and the seed is not mentioned as much as the soils.

What is a soil? In Hebrew we call it adamah or karkah. And the soils have four different conditions. Four different conditions of soils which the sower sow seeds upon. In fact, we learn here from this passage that there is a soil that is called by the wayside. Another soil is called a stony ground. Another soil is called among thorns. And a fourth soil condition was a good ground, good soil. And what we really learn, beloved brothers and sisters, here in this passage, that the message of the Gospel, the Besorah, the Word of God, is preached. But those that hear that message are in different conditions.

The Word is the same. The message is the same. The Gospel of the grace of God is the same. The gospel of the kingdom of God which he preached was the same. Nothing changed. But the condition of the soils is different. In fact, I heard the other day that some group of believers are gathered together in order for them to figure out how can we preach the word of God that will be suitable for people so they will accept the word of God. And someone said, wait a minute. Are we preaching the word of God to accommodate people in order that they will accept the word of God?

Are we going to change it and make it more suitable for them so they will be so happy to accept it? No. The message is the same. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life. The message is clear. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Men need to repent and accept the Messiah who died for his or her sins and was buried and resurrected. The gospel cannot be changed. The problem is not with the gospel message. The problem is not with the word of God.

The problem is with the condition of the heart. In order for the message of the gospel to enter into man's heart, Men have to be cultivated by the Spirit of God and develop, you might say, a good condition where the Word of God will make an effect upon him or upon her. We cannot trick people by giving them some kind of easy message that they will like more, you see. Some people don't like to be called sinners. Well, so what are we going to do? Are we going to change the Bible and say, no, we are pretty good people. We can't change it God says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God you see what the Lord is trying to teach here in this passage the importance of the condition of the heart and dear beloved brothers and sisters it is so important to understand that we cannot soften the message or harden the message, we have to give the sincere milk of the word of God in order for it to be an effect upon an individual and ultimately bring a person to the knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah.

Well, again, to remind you, the context is in the land of Israel. The context is Yeshua the Messiah came at his first coming. He didn't die as yet on the cross, on the tree. He knows that he's going to die, but he's presenting before the people of Israel the fact that he was the promised Messiah. And as we read already in chapter 1 and verse 15, he said the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, believe the gospel, believe the besorah, the message of the word of God. And so in chapter 4, it's so beautiful, you will notice that here now the Messiah, namely Yeshua, He's teaching, and He's teaching the parable of the soils.

That helps us to grasp what kind of a beautiful teacher Yeshua, the Messiah, was. And so in the first nine verses, Yeshua presents before the multitude that came after Him the parable of the seed which fell upon four kind of soils again to remind you for a moment that it says here in verse 1 of chapter 4 he began again to teach by the seaside and there were gathered unto him great multitude so that he entered into a ship and he sat in the sea and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. Now just imagine if you have been in Israel with me or with any person if you visited the land of the Bible the land of Israel you know that the sea of course is the Kineret called the Sea of Galilee.

There in the north of Israel, the Sea of Galilee is situated and all surrounded by mountains. Further north, of course, is the Golan Heights, but all this in Galilee, the mountains of Galilee. The sea is an important part of the land of Israel, either need the Sea of Galilee, the Kinneret, because out of the Kinneret much water is being brought for the nation of Israel to drink. The Kinneret has to be filled in order for Israel to draw drinking water. Now the Sea of Galilee is being filled from the Jordan that comes down all the way from Mount Hermon. All the water falls down into the Sea of Galilee to the Kinneret and then go out from the Sea of Galilee and pours all the way down into the Dead Sea, Yama Melach.

And there it ends. It dies. It becomes salty water. And so he is now in the Galil, in the north of Israel. And what happened? There are a multitude who followed after him. So many people are coming after him and they want to be healed by him. They want the demons to be taken away from them. They are nations. Remember, these are Jewish people that come from all over the land of Israel and even beyond Israel. If you remember, we studied in chapter 3 that it says in verse 7, But Yeshua withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from the Galil followed after him.

And from Judah, Yehuda came after him. From Jerusalem and Edom, beyond the Jordan, Tyre and Sidon. Multitude, they came to hear what he has to say because they have heard of the great things that he has done. Now, multitude are coming after him. It is amazing. Those are the people that belong to the nation of Israel they coming to hear what he has to say and so you know what he did the multitude so much pressed him that the time he couldn't even eat so what did he do chapter 4 verse 1 that he himself entered into a ship and then he went into the sea itself but the rest of the multitude stayed on shore and they were all around there in the little hills there in the Galil.

Now it becomes like a theater. You might say, he's on the sea, the people there, the multitudes are there on shore, and he presents before them, he's sharing with them, and he's teaching them the word of God. Again, brothers and sisters, we're not talking about a hundred people or a thousand people, multitudes, there must be tens of thousands who came there to listen to the servant of the Lord, The Lord Yeshua himself entering into a ship, it became like an amphitheater. His voice was carried out and they could hear him all as he teached them directly from the boat, from the ship. And we read here in verse 2 as well, not only that he entered while the multitude were outside on the shore, Yeshua taught them and the word parables is mentioned here immediately at the beginning of this passage.

It says in verse 2, he taught them, but notice he taught them many things by parables and said unto them in his doctrine. Notice the word parable come from the Greek word parabolo or parabalo or parabela. Pera means to cast alongside. In Hebrew, we call it meshalim or mashal. It comes from the book of Proverbs. He spoke unto them in illustration to teach them spiritual lessons. Parables, parabolos, meshalim, simply mean to cast alongside. To tell a story and to illustrate what he really wanted to say to the multitude of people. Somebody said that a good teacher who knows how to teach the word and is going to be a really good teacher is a person who knows to illustrate spiritual things by telling stories and the story illustrates many many spiritual things and you know brothers and sisters it is something that was done throughout the history of our people Israel by the prophets of Israel by the men and women of God of old whom God had raised among the people of Israel the Proverbs were written by Solomon the prophets have been teaching in many times in parable whether it is Ezekiel was taught through a parable and many others have been taught and teaching through parables.

Why? Because there is an illustration that teach a spiritual lesson. Even if you remember King David, when he sinned against Bathsheba and how the prophet told him, let me tell you a story. A certain man had only one lamb. And then another man came and took that one little lamb that belonged to that certain man. And you remember the whole story and how eventually David was so upset. That these men have taken that little lamb from another and he said that man ought to be killed. And the prophet said to him, you are that man. He told him a story and he taught him a spiritual lesson.

And we learn this throughout the Scripture. Parables after parables after parables were taught in Scripture to teach Israel and to teach even you and I today spiritual things through those stories. Some call them earthly stories with heavenly meanings. We would call them stories that illustrate spiritual lessons. And here notice that in verse two, he taught them many things by parables. And he said unto them in his doctrine, and now beloved brothers and sisters from Mark 4 verse 3 to 9 he give them a parable of the four soils four types and four kinds of ground upon which the seed is fallen and so he began you notice that in verses 3 to verse 9 the parable we find that first of all he's speaking about the soil that went out to sow seeds i'm reading verse three hearken he says listen i want you to listen to what i have to tell you he says behold there went out a sower to sow now he can perhaps he was just doing that justice he was looking up in the little hills of Galilee and he was pointing to everyone hey look at this here's a sower that is walking there upon the mountainy fields of Galilee and he's sowing.

What does he sow obviously he sows seeds and of course you notice he make an illustration how can he says behold there went out a sower to sow and he began now to tell them upon which soils the seed fell and so you notice now from verses 4 all the way to verse 8 Yeshua is presenting the four kinds of grounds or soils upon which the seed fell and notice we read and I'm reading that and it came to pass as he sowed some fell by the wayside and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. Second soil, verse five, some fell on a stony ground where it had not much earth and immediately it sprung up because it had no depth of the earth.

But when the sun was up, it was scorched and because it had no root, it withered away. That's the second soil. Then thirdly in verse 7 the third soil in its condition it said some fell among thorns and the thorn grew up. And choked it and it yield no fruit and finally beloved brothers and sisters in verse 8 he give us the four kind of soil of ground and he said in verse 8 others fell on a good ground and it yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some 30 some 60 and some 100 now interesting imagine he is there in the ship in the boat on the water of the sea of Galilee the multitude thousands are there that followed after him who wanted to be healed and being taken care of were listening to what the Messiah Yeshua is speaking unto them.

He is looking around and he sees a man that is sowing seeds and he is pointing to this man and he is saying the sower went out to sow seeds and here are the kind of grounds upon which the seeds fell. Very interesting illustration. And he wanted to teach them a very important spiritual lesson. A lesson that will help them. Now again, I would like you to remember, the people to whom he spoke were the people of Israel. The population that were there, all Jewish people, Israelis, Hebrews, who came from all over the nation of Israel, they heard what he was doing. They came to him.

They wanted from him help. But in the midst of all the people that were there, Not everyone came because they understood that he was the Messiah. Not everyone came because they wanted to listen to his word and to submit to his authority. Not everyone that came, came because they wanted to adhere to the word of God. In fact, it was a multitude with a mixture that was among them. Some of them was the religious leaders from Jerusalem. Some of them were the Pharisees or the Sadducees. Some were the ordinary Israeli Jewish men or women that came from all over the land of Israel, from the north and the south and the east and the west.

All of them came because they wanted to hear what this man by the name of Yeshua has to say and what he's doing. You remember, let me just remind you, his own family did not understand that he was the Messiah. They thought that he was beside himself at the end of chapter 3, as we have studied this in a previous ministry meeting. Various different conditions. And the lesson for us, beloved brothers and sisters, is that we live in a world, and the world is filled with people whom God loves, but not everyone in this world receives the Word of God in the same way. There are various conditions of the heart.

Various people with various circumstances in their lives, But God desired that his word that represented by the seed will fall upon a ground that will be cultivated and the word of God will be accepted. Because the Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Paul said to Timothy, preach the word in season and out of season for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. The word of God must be preached. Let it fall where it may, but trust that it will fall upon a good ground, like the soil. In the land of Israel, in Galilee, some fell by the wayside, others fell on stony ground, others yet fell among thorns, and others failed upon good ground.

Adamah tovah, as we say this in Hebrew. So in verses 1 to 9, he presented the parable. Now again, to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, a parable needs to be explained. A parable needs to be understood in order for one to appreciate it and learn some lessons and apply it to his or her own heart. And Yeshua said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And so in the next verses, very interesting, verses 10 to 13 of Mark chapter 4, Yeshua privately explained to his followers why he spake in parables to the multitude. And you see what he says, first of all, in verse 10, it says here, when he was alone, notice the word alone, when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

So apparently, when he spoke the parable to the multitude of people, he was in the ship, the rest of the people were on shore, thousands of them, he shared with them the word of God, and then, beloved brothers and sisters, when he was alone with his disciples and others that followed him, that were sincere believers in Yeshua the Messiah, they came to him and they said to him according to verse 10 of Mark chapter 4 they asked him about that parable apparently they needed explanation and of course we know very well that the Lord when he speaks his word he also explained it to those who are sincere just before we started the meeting I was asked the question what about if someone come to me and tell me that the Lord that Yeshua is not divine he's not God how would I relate to this person well if that person doesn't want to hear the truth of the word of God and he doesn't accept the fact that Yeshua is much more than just a man.

That he's God who entered humanity through the virgin Miriam and he persists on the fact that he's not divine he's not God he's not the son of God he's not the one that was promised in the Scripture well we cannot continue to expound to them the word of God he will have to be left on its own until God will show it to him or he will eventually will find out that he was wrong because the Bible does teach that Yeshua is more than just another man that he's God the son Emmanuel and rejecting him for who he is is really denying what the Scripture is teaching so Yeshua is here along with his followers, namely the twelve disciples plus the rest that follow after him, they came to him and they asked him, why do you speak this in parables?

And explained to us, notice again verse 10, when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. What was that meaning? What is the meaning in that parable? The sower went out to sow seed. And as he sowed the seed, some fell by the wayside, others fell on a stony ground, others fell among thorns, and others fell on a good ground and brought fruit. What does it mean? And it's so beautiful, brothers and sisters, because he's always willing to explain to those who really want. You see, those that really want to hear the Word of God will come to the Lord, and he's always ready to explain to them.

Those that don't want the word of God and don't want to submit to his authority, they always will argue, will always find fault in it, always will try to find an excuse, don't give me this, don't give me that. They will experience the consequence of their rejection. And so, notice in verse 11, Yeshua distinguished between the two groups that were there on the shore by the seashore in the Galil. The two groups among our people of all, the people of Israel that came to him to listen to what he said. But apparently there was more than one group. Because there are those who believe and follow and those who reject and don't follow.

There are those who want to know the truth, and there are those who do not want to know the truth. And so you notice in verse 11, it's very clear. He said unto them, notice how clearly. Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. Notice he distinguished the you and the them. The followers of the Messiah and those who do not want to follow the Messiah. Those who accept him as the one that was promised by the prophets of Israel and those who reject him and actually claim that he did what he did in the power of Baal Zvuv rather than in the power of the Spirit of God.

You know, brothers and sisters, we live in a world, just the same like in Israel's history, we live today in a world that there are only two groups of people. Those that are in and those that are out. Those that are wise and those that are foolish. Those that are saved and those that are lost. And those that go to heaven and those that are going, sadly, to eternal separation from God. Only two groups, really. You are either in or you're out. You're either saved or you are lost. You're either wise or you're foolish. You're either going to heaven or you're going to the lake of fire, to hell.

There is no more than those two groups. And so he said, notice how he distinguished in verse 11. He said, and to you, these are the believers who came and followed him, the disciples, of course, and those that followed after him. And to you, it was given to know. What to know? To know the mystery of the kingdom of God. In Hebrew, it's called Sod Malchut Ha'Elohim. To you, it was given to know about the kingdom of God that is going to be established. But unto them he says notice this unto them that are without those that are without to them he says in verse 11 to them that are without all these things are spoke in parable in other words I'm speaking in parables for a reason purposely that those who are rejecting who I am that I am the Mashiach I'm the promised Messiah those who reject me are actually without they are not in they are not going to enjoy what God had promised to Israel and again I would like you to understand again he used the expression the kingdom of God Malchut Ha'Elohim Daniel was promised already when he was in Babel many many years before the Messiah came when our people of all the people of Israel went to Babylon had been taken by king Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel after 69 years he said wow God the time is coming are you going to restore the people of Israel back into the land the kingdom that your promise is coming Daniel wept before God because.

He wanted to know and God you remember how he revealed this to Daniel and i wanted to just read that verse in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44 where God said to Daniel in verse 44 and in the days of these Kings shall the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all this kingdom and it shall stand forever So Daniel explaining this to King Nebuchadnezzar that there is a kingdom that is coming one day that will not be left to other nations. It will be given back to the nation of Israel whom God had promised to them.

In chapter 7 of the same book of Daniel in verse 27 we read very similar thing. We read there and notice it and I'm reading that. He said, and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominion shall serve and obey him. There is coming a kingdom. Daniel saying to King Nebuchadnezzar that kingdom was promised by God to his people Israel but they will be a channel of blessing to all the nations of the world. That's why when Yeshua came to the land of Israel, it said, the kingdom is coming.

The kingdom is coming. And to you it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom, but unto them from among the people of Israel who rejected that he was the Messiah, to them all things are done in parables. In fact, just one more verse came to my mind in Acts chapter 1 and verse 6. I think it was the disciples who said to Yeshua the Messiah, will thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it's not for you to know the time, nor the season, but you shall be my witnesses. And now you're going to preach the gospel to all the nations of the world.

The kingdom will be postponed while the nations of the world will hear the message of the gospel. And some from among the nations of the world will become saved, redeemed. And they will be what is known today, the assembly, the ecclesia, the called out ones, the church of the living God. And so now notice what he's saying in verse 12. After he said that he distinguished between one group and another group, saying, to you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without all these things are done in parables, then he explained, and I love that, how the Lord Yeshua is such a good teacher.

He brings the Scripture back and he's quoting the prophet Isaiah. And notice what Isaiah said in verse 12. That seeing they may see but not perceive. That hearing they may hear but not understand. Lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven unto them. You see, Yeshua is quoting Isaiah. Yeshayahu. Yeshayahu was speaking to Israel, our people of old. And when our people disobeyed God, God raised a man by the name of Yeshayahu, Isaiah. And he sent him to be a messenger to the people of Israel. And when Isaiah was sent, he was asking to the Lord. He's saying, here am I, send me.

But God said to him, notice in Isaiah chapter 6, It says there, and I'm reading those verses that relate to that, that quoted here in Mark 4 and verse 12. He's quoting verses 9 and 10 of Isaiah chapter 6. And there it says, Go, God said to Isaiah, Go and tell these people, this is Israel, Hear ye indeed, but you understand not. See you are indeed, but you perceive not. Verse 10, Make the heart of these people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and be healed. See Isaiah said, wait a minute, God, you're sending me to our people, Israel?

And then you are telling me that what I'm going to tell them they will not accept? Are you telling me that I'm going to preach and they will reject my message? God says yes. You know why? Because their heart was hardened. They haven't listened to what I longed for Israel, my people. And therefore I had to judge them. That's why, by the way, in Romans 11 it says blindness in part happened to Israel. Why? Because God is holy. And when the message is being preached and is rejected, God hardened hearts when he give the message and he give the message and he give the message and rejection after rejection after rejection.

Like Pharaoh of old who was told by Moshe, let my people go. And Pharaoh hardened his heart. So you know what God did? He hardened Pharaoh's heart even more. And he says, okay, you reject my word, I will harden your heart. That even if you want to allow my people to go and believe the word of the Lord, I will not let you believe. And the Bible teaches us in the book of Romans that Pharaoh's heart was hardened. And unfortunately and sadly, our own nation Israel's heart was hardened when Yeshua was there. And when I say our own nation, I don't mean all the nation of Israel, because there were those two groups, as we see here.

Unto you it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them it was not. Therefore I speak to them in parables that they will not understand. In order to fulfill what Isaiah said, that seeing they may see and not perceive, hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven unto them. So you and I immediately say, Probably, well, God is not fair. He's hardening the hearts of people. Well, let me remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that God doesn't ask for your opinion. All what he asks you and I, Israel and the nations of the world, is to submit to his authority.

He is God. You and I are people. He is the creator. We are the creatures. He is from above. We are from beneath. We are living here passing through for a temporary season but he is from everlasting to everlasting he is God he doesn't ask yours or my opinion or what he expects from you and from me is to submit to his authority to accept his word and if we don't you and I will find out who is God you and I will find out who is right and who is wrong and that's why he's appealing to the nation and today actually it's the very same thing even though the context here in Mark 4 is Israel the Jewish people, the chosen people but today the same message is proclaimed people trying to change God's word to ease things up, to make things different some denied the deity of the Messiah some denied the validity of the word of God some denied the fact of a virgin birth Some deny all sorts of things that are found in the Bible.

Do you think it's going to change the word of God? It doesn't change it for a moment. These people come and they go. But the word of the Lord remained intact. Heaven and earth will pass away, Yeshua said. But my word remained the same. If you just read in the Scripture, How many times we read in Scripture about the fact that God judicially blinded the mind and the hearts of those who disobey his word. If you remember just last ministry meeting we read 2 Kings chapter 1 when the son of Ahab fell in the lettuce. And instead of going to the living God he went to the God of the Philistine Baal Zvuv.

And he asked him he sent his servant to ask his gods will i be rising out of my sickness yes or no and God sent elihu Elijah and he said to the servants of this wicked king he said is there not a God in Israel that you are going to this pagan God and asking him about your health situation? Because you have done so you will stay in your bed and you will never rise out of your bed and God judged him and he never returned to a health that he assumed that he wanted to receive. God word is clear to those who reject it become like a parable that cannot be understood but to those who submit and follow and accept him He is explaining and helping them to understand.

And now, beloved brothers and sisters, look what we read in verse 13. But in fact, I just want to mention one thing before I'm going to move along. In the context of Mark 4, he speaks to Israel, his people. And today, he is speaking to the church, to the assemblies. Revelation chapter 2 and 3, the seven churches of Asia Minor. He's speaking to those who profess to be part of the assembly of the church and you notice in all the seven letters that are found in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 he again and again says he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit is saying unto the churches if you will not listen to my word I will judge you I will discipline you I will spew you out of my mouth he said to the church of the Laodicea because you say that you are rich and you don't need anything you think you don't realize that you are poor and wretched and miserable because you reject my word the professing church what we call it Christendom those who claim that they belong to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah he says I'm going to spew you out of my mouth and then he asks for those who truly belong to him he that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the assemblies so now let's go back to our chapter in Mark chapter 4 now verse 13.

Yeshua's followers were really slow even to understand because we often time cannot understand things we need him to explain and that's why he said to them in verse 13 of our chapter and he said to them know ye not this parable how then will ye know all parables Because he taught him many other parables. He said, if you don't understand this parable, you will not be able to understand all the other parables. You can see that in Matthew chapter 13, there were many parables that he taught the people. But he's speaking to his own. He said, if you don't understand this parable, how will you be able to understand all parables?

And for this reason he explained this parable to them in the next verses in Mark chapter 4 and so let's look at those simple explanation that he explained from verses 14 to 20 where we read today look how beautiful the Lord Yeshua the Messiah is explaining in verse 14 he says the sower sowers the word the word of God become a seed the sower is anyone who share the word of God in this context it was the one that he pointed to there by the hills of Galilee he says the sower look look here's a sower he's going and he's sowing seed but he's saying here it is the word obviously it's the word of God anyone who is preaching the gospel and a message today Just a slam like in his days when the apostles in those early days preached a message to the nation of Israel.

They went all over. They were speaking, sharing the word. Sharing the word of God is like sowing seeds. And sowing seeds. Let God work in hearts. Live it to the Lord. We cannot improve the seed or change the seed or try to make things convenient for people that they will accept the seed. No. So the sower simply goes out and he sows seeds. He just scatters the seeds. He's casting them around on the field. And then he gives us these four conditions of the soils, but this time he applies it to the four conditions in the human heart. And you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse 15, the seed, the word of God, fell by the wayside.

And I'm reading verse 15, these are they by the wayside where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and he taketh it away, the word that was sown in their hearts. Now notice now, he takes the soil and he expounds it and he says the soil representing the heart. And you notice the first condition is called a hard heart. It's a soil that represents by the wayside. And why by the wayside? If you would remember when you walk in the wayside in the land of Israel, especially 2,000 years ago, about 2,000 years ago, when Yeshua was there, there were paths that were made and they were wide enough for a few people to walk across and it was all throughout the hills of Galilee and the hills of Judea and as you walk on them they packed and again another group of people walk and another group of people walk it becomes very hard and we read here it was by the wayside as you walk in your way some of these seeds fell by the wayside and it really represents a hard heart a heart that is so hard that had been so hardened because of many many reasons that life brings upon a person's life and it says notice what happened in this condition it says that when they were heard then Satan he comes and immediately he takes it away that the word that was sown in their heart will be no longer remained there.

And Satan is active. He's doing anything and everything he can to hinder from the word of God to fall and ground that is cultivating the word of God and embracing the word of God. He falls upon a hard ground. Sometimes makes you wonder when we preach the word of God it seems to be that people are so they harden their hearts to the message of the grace of God. And so we find the first condition it's a hard heart opposed by the Satan, Satan who takes it immediately away that it will not take root. Oh, it's very above the ground there it's so hard I can see the seed.

He takes them away in order that they will not stay and germinate and eventually bring some fruit. That's the first one secondly notice in verses 16 and 17 this is Yeshua is explaining the condition of the soils and applied them to the condition of the human heart and he says in verse 16 and 17 the word of God fell on a stony ground this represents a shallow heart a heart that is very shallow a ground that is mixed with stones and that's why we read these are they which we read here in the next verse he says these are they verse 16 he said like which are sown on a stony ground who when they have heard the word immediately received it with gladness but listen to verse 17 but have no root in themselves and so endure but for a little time only for a time and then afterwards when affliction and persecution arises for the world's sake immediately they are offended now you notice beloved brothers and sisters while the hard heart the seed was taken because Satan came immediately and took it when it's come to the shallow heart.

It's not so much Satan but it is the flesh it is one of our greatest enemies the flesh because of as it says the affliction and persecution arises for the word's sake immediately they are offended well you know when the flesh does not get its way then the flesh gets offended I don't want to follow the Lord and have some hardship in my life I want to have good time, a little bit in the world, a little bit with the Lord, and I'm fine. But you see what the Lord is saying? The shallow heart, the seed that fell upon a stony ground, and immediately, he heard the word, received it gladly in the beginning, but then it doesn't take any root.

And because of affliction, problem, because of persecution, challenges, immediately the flesh is offended and the seeds have no value. These two conditions representing those who did not accept the Messiah for two reasons. Number one, because of a hard heart. Number two, because of a shallow heart. No depth. But then thirdly, notice beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 18 and 19, here's the third condition of the heart. These are the seeds, the word of God that fell among thorns. And so we read, and I'm reading verses 18 and 19, and these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things entering in, choke the word, and it become unfruitful.

Here's the third condition of the heart. The one is a hard heart. The other one is a shallow heart. And the third one is a crowded heart. A crowded heart where the heart is so much filled with so many things that occupy the heart. What happens is that crowded heart, falling among thorns, The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of all these things entering in, choking the Word of God, and it became unfruitful. Three conditions of the hearts of those who rejected the Word of God. These are part of the crowds that came to hear Yeshua the Messiah, and many of them came, but they didn't come with the condition of the heart to embrace the word of God and to accept the Messiahship of Yeshua.

They were represented by seed that fell by the wayside, seed that fell by stony ground, and seed that fell among thorns. And if you notice, that the three enemies that all believers have are found here. Satan, the flesh, and the world. Satan, the flesh, and the world. Those three grounds represent those three enemies that belong to mankind, but also the enemies that are against the people who belong to the Lord. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us, the first few verses says, and I'm going to read that, he says, Then you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past he walked according to the course of this world.

That's where we came from, the world. And then according to the prince of the power of the air, this is Satan himself. And then verse 3, among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh. The world, Satan, and the flesh. Here we see that in Mark chapter 4, the three enemies that oppose anything that had to do with God. Now let's conclude here with verse 20. And verse 20 is the fourth condition of the heart, which represent here the good ground. And you notice that, beloved brothers and sisters? In verse 20, the word of God fell upon good ground.

This was a fruitful ground. One that the heart condition is ready to receive what God had said in his word, to embrace the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, and to accept him as our Lord and our Savior. So we read in verse 20, how beautiful, and these are they which are sown on a good ground. Verse 20, such as hear the word, receive the word, and bring forth fruit. Some 30, some 60, and some 100 fold. Not all of us who have accepted the Lord are the ones that bring the same growth and fruit in our life. But embracing the word, accepting what Yeshua is saying, these are the ones that are true believers.

And they are the ones that will accept the Lord's word and eventually will bring fruit for God. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, that's what the Lord Yeshua was teaching in Mark chapter 4 and applying this now to the nation of Israel. There are those that are within and there are those that are without, part of the nation of Israel. And you notice that, beloved brothers and sisters? Even up till today, the vast majority of our own people, Israel, did not accept yet the Messiah. And the minority of the Jewish people are those who are believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. We became part of the assembly, of the ecclesia.

All those of us, Jewish and non-Jewish, who have accepted the Messiah. And today we are forming what is known to be the body of Christ. The body of Mashiach. But there is a day coming. When the kingdom of God will be established, the Messiah will reign. Israel, not only some, but all Israel, as Romans 11 tells us, will eventually be saved. And they will recognize that Yeshua indeed is the Mashiach. And they will call him King of Kings and Lord of lords. And they will embrace him. And they will be a light to the nations of the world. And all the nations of the world will be blessed through the future restored nation of Israel in a coming day.

Until then, let's continue to preach the Word. Let's trust the Lord to use the Word of God to fall upon good ground also. And many will ultimately accept that Yeshua is the Messiah. Can we say Amen to that?