The Parable of the Invincible Seed

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon, noting the date and passage (Mark 4:26-29), and highlights the need for the Holy Spirit's help in interpreting parables without explicit divine…

Martin uses the frozen, snow-covered ground outside the church as a contrast to the springtime imagery of the parable, bringing a 'bit of spring' into the sanctuary to set the scene for the agricultural text.

But we praise you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and we pray that he may be present this morning to open the eyes of our understanding, to help your servant as he attempts to convey the fruit of his labors in prayer and study and in organizing the material. Our Father, our Father, come by the Spirit upon preacher and listener that together we may all be conscious that the Lord Jesus himself by the Spirit has come into our midst to minister to our hearts. Hear our cry as we offer it up in your presence in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Now with the ground outside of us frozen as hard as con...

3:00 - 4:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin breaks down the parable chronologically into three main elements: sowing time (the man casting seed), growth time (the farmer's inactivity and the seed's automatic growth)…

Martin humorously describes a farmer setting an alarm, pinching a rooster, or digging up seeds with a candle at night to check for growth, illustrating the farmer's impotence and ignorance regarding the seed's growth process.

At the end of his time of sowing he went to bed as a weary farmer. And what did he do? Did he set an alarm clock or go out and have someone pinch a rooster to crow early in order to get up every hour on the hour and go to the place where he had sown his seed and examine it with a flashlight to see if there were any activity out in the field? Did he go out every three hours throughout the dark hours of the night to get down on his hands and knees with a candle and dig around his seed to see if there were any activity?

19:15 - 19:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Treasure, guard, and promote the unique ministry of the academy (seminary) within the church for raising up good sowers of the Word.

Martin recounts a Vassar graduate telling him his choice of ministry was 'what a waste,' highlighting the world's misunderstanding and disdain for the seemingly 'mean' work of sowing the Word.

That's right. I can remember when on the threshold of my manhood, a woman who was a graduate of Vassar with a beautiful, brilliant mind stood and looked me straight in the eye, and said, Albert, what a waste. What a waste that you're giving your life and your potential to so mean as the ministry. She said, looking me straight in the eye, standing three feet away, what a waste.

38:09 - 38:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Treasure, guard, and promote the unique ministry of the academy (seminary) within the church for raising up good sowers of the Word.

He speaks of men with high business potential who 'burn themselves out in throwing seed upon the earth,' emphasizing that they do so because they've caught the vision of this parable's message about the kingdom's growth.

What a waste. Think of some of the men who've already gone from us. Men who, humanly speaking, have the ability to make it high up in the echelon in the business, world before they're 40.

38:52 - 39:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Give sacrificially of time and money to advance gospel causes, knowing it is not an exercise in futility.

Martin contrasts building something tangible in the construction trade with the work of ministry, stating that if he thought ministry was futile, he'd choose a trade to 'have something to show for my labors,' underscoring the confidence believers have in the spiritual harvest.

If I thought for one moment I were, I'd at least go into some form of the construction trade where I could build something that I could point to and say, that's the fruit of my labors and that will at least stand until an earthquake came or if I have something to show for my labors.

46:35 - 46:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The parable beautifully illustrates the mysterious operations of grace, where the farmer 'knows not how' the seed grows. This highlights human impotence and ignorance in spiritual…

He uses the absurd image of a parent talking to seeds in a garden, telling them to 'grow, grow, grow,' to illustrate the farmer's (and by extension, the preacher's) impotence to make the seed grow.

Now, little seed, grow, grow, grow. Oh, come on, grow, grow, grow. What would you think of your mommy or daddy if you found them? Out in the garden, talking to seeds.

50:04 - 50:12 Read in full sermon

The point: Labor with all powers to preach the Word simply, plainly, passionately, and earnestly, while acknowledging utter impotence to make the seed grow.

Martin compares preaching without God's power to speaking in a foreign language like Urdu or Hindustani, emphasizing the preacher's utter impotence to make the word grow in hearts.

We stand before the seed we've thrown out upon the earth and say we're impotent to make it grow. You see, and I speak especially to you men who covet the office of the ministerial, this is the great contradiction in preaching. The great contradiction. You labor with all of your powers to teach and preach the word of God simply, plainly, passionately, earnestly, and yet you know all the while you do it, I'm utterly impotent to make that seed grow at all in the hearts of you.

52:03 - 52:41 Read in full sermon