"Snapshot Series": Do You Understand?

Community Group Questions

1. Who do you know that has responded to the Gospel like…the path, the rocky soil, the thorns and the good soil?

2. Think of the last time you were struggling with a sin. When you were exposed to biblical teaching, how did you respond?

Was your heat hard?
Did you seek to understand the teaching and develop roots?
Were you distracted from the sin by the business of life?
Did you apply the teaching and gain victory over the sin?

Snapshot9 Mark 4:1-20 Do You Understand?

Vrs 1-2 Intro
Reasons for parables Nelson Study Notes:
1. Interesting and grabs the listener’s attention.
2. Easy to remember
3. They reveal truth to those who are spiritually ready
4. They conceal truth from those who oppose Christ’s message. (in the climate Jesus was preaching in He was weighing the words He spoke because of the accusations against Him)

Vrs 3-9 Parable

Vrs 10-13 Understanding. Do you understand that spiritual truths can be seen in the physical world

Vrs 12 This statement is not that Jesus is hiding or making it difficult for people to understand but it stating that those who reject the plain message of salvation He offers will not “get” the teachings because He is speaking in parables.

Vrs 14-20 So what should we understand from this parable? Lucky us Jesus explains it. Explanation

When you go out and sow the Word (preaching the Gospel) (The seed is always the same = the Word is always the same) The means in which we get the word out may be different. Remember that is not wrong unless it is by sinful means

Vrs 14-15 The path: These people are hard hearted, stiff necked people (not the blinded as far as ignorant of God’s truth) When you are telling others about the Lord some of them just don’t want to hear it. Anything that may bring up some points of interest are snatched away by Satan.

Vrs 16-17 The rocky soil: Sometimes when you tell others, they love it they are like… yeah I am down with that but unfortunately they don’t develop a root because of the limestone. When troubles come or people are telling them “that is dumb” they fall away because they have no roots.

Vrs 18-19 The thorns: Sometimes when you tell others they hear it and say “that may work” but their conflicting worldview of worldly cares, money and desires choke out what they heard.

There a two commonalities with these three. 1. The seed. 2. No fruit

Vrs 20 Good Soil Accepts and bear fruit.
It’s a heart condition

By observing people and life experience we see these are on target as far as responses to Jesus go, but what about our personal response.

Rather then looking at this from an evangelistic standpoint lets look at if from a discipleship standpoint.

We hear a Biblical teaching or maybe we are confronted with a biblical teaching.

1. Is your heart hard toward it?
2. Are your roots not deep so you find it difficult to understand and it does not matter?
3. Is there too much going on in life that you can’t pay attention?
4. Are you applying it to your life so there is a result.