ESF, Lord’s Day service message
2/23/2025
Growing in Grace
Text: Mark 4:26-29

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Every person is born a baby. But depending on how each person grows, their life becomes different. In terms of physical growth, growing stops at a certain point of life. But other areas of growth such as intellect, character, and faith, may continue growing until we die.

When we think about growing, we tend to focus on our own effort of growing. Of course, we need effort to grow. But the foundation of growing is not of human effort, but God’s grace. Either in physical growth or in growth of other areas, we cannot grow without God’s grace.

Then how does God’s grace help our growth and how can we receive the grace to grow?

God’s grace works beyond man’s understanding.
Although a farmer does several things with a seed such as sowing it, watering it, and fertilizing it, he cannot give life to the seed. He sees the seed budding out of the soil and growing, but he does not understand the secret of life and growth in it.

The life and growth of a seed is mysterious.

In 1539 King Henry VIII closed a monastery. At that time, there were several monks in the monastery. They stayed in the closed monastery until they died. After they died nobody took care of plants and herbs in the monastery. A few years ago, some archaeologists began excavating the courtyard of the monastery. They found seeds that had been dormant for more than 400 years under the rocks. After the excavation, the seeds were taken out of the rocks and put in soil. Soon the seeds sprouted to life again. How could the seeds have kept life in them for so many years?

As the growth of life in nature is mysterious, so is man’s physical and spiritual growth. We cannot understand all the mysteries of how God makes us grow.

Job 11:7-9 says,
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

If we try to understand everything in our growth, we will never get all the answers. We will waste our energy and time to search unanswerable questions. Let the mysteries of God’s grace for your growth remain mysterious.

It does not mean that we should not study and try to understand the truth of growth. It means that although we study and try to understand the truth, we must acknowledge the limits of our understanding. It means that we must be humble before God who works for our growth with his infinite wisdom and unfathomable grace.

Even if you cannot understand how God’s grace works for spiritual growth of yourself or other people, just relax and let the mysterious things remain mysterious. Do not try to be a perfectionist by understanding all the things about your growth or other people’s growth. Just do whatever you can do to nurture your own growth or other people’s growth and let God’s grace take care of everything else.

Then you will eventually see spiritual growth in you and others.

God’s grace works beyond man’s efforts.
Although a farmer sows seeds, cultivates, and fertilizes the soil, waters the soil, he cannot do everything for the growth of the seed. He cannot give life to the seed itself, or create soil, rain, or sunlight. He can do nothing to cause life in the seed to spring up. He goes to sleep at night, gets up in the morning without doing anything to create life in the seed and yet the seed brings forth fruit of itself according to its own timing. The essential needs for the growth of the seed can be met not by a farmer’s effort but only by God’s graceful power.

Thus, when we receive the word of God in our hearts, we must depend upon God’s grace for our spiritual growth rather than depending on our own efforts.

It does not mean that there is nothing we can do to grow. There are things we can do, and we must do to grow, just as farmers are doing their best to help their seeds grow- meditating on the Word, praying constantly, participating in worship and fellowship regularly, reaching out to people, taking care of people with love etc.

It means that we should not try to control the content or direction of our growth according to our own measurement. It means that we should constantly trust in God’s grace for our spiritual growth. It means that we should not be proud of ourselves when we see growth in our lives. It means that we should not depend upon any man’s talent or wisdom but depend upon God’s grace alone for our spiritual growth.

When the Corinthians believers depended upon famous leaders for their spiritual growth it brought conflicts among themselves, Paul reminded them of this truth in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7.
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

When you see any spiritual growth in your life, do not boast about how much you have prayed, how many times you have read the Bible, how faithfully you have attended all church services and gatherings or how much you have sacrificed to serve the Lord. Boast only about God’s grace which has truly caused you to grow.

It also means that even if we are weak and fail from time to time, we must be confident of growth by God’s grace. Growth in God’s grace works so powerfully that it breaks through and overcomes all obstacles. “A tree can split a concrete pavement with the power of its growth. A weed can push its green head through an asphalt path. Nothing can stop the growth of a life. So, it is with the growth in the kingdom of God. “In spite of man’s rebellion and disobedience, God’s work goes on; and nothing in the end can stop the purpose of God” (William Barclay)

Whether you feel strong or weak, always depend upon the power of God’s grace. Even if you have failed many times, do not give up on starting a new life in God’s grace. Keep focusing on the mercy of God’s grace. Keep depending on the power of God’s grace.

God’s grace works beyond man’s timetable.
There are several different steps in the growth of every seed’s life: “the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” (verse 28).

If a farmer expects fruit at the time the seed is just a bud, he will get disappointed or even give up on farming altogether. But if the farmer knows how to wait for the many different stages of growth until the seed ripens, he will not get disappointed by slow growth and can wait patiently for the harvest.

1). Wait patiently.
The growth of spiritual life is the same. There are many different stages of growth in spiritual life. When we receive the seed of the gospel in our hearts, we should not expect results according to our own expectation. We should be patient until the seed of the gospel in a heart grows according to God’s timetable.

If we expect positive improvement in our lives according to our own time schedule, we may easily get impatient.

There is a story of a tomato producer who found a way to “improve” his business. He would take the green tomatoes and after picking them he would run them under an artificial light. The light caused the tomatoes to become red. He could then sell the tomatoes more quickly. The only problem, of course, was that the tomatoes did not taste good because they were not properly ripe.

Today people are not used to waiting patiently. People become impatient when waiting for a long time for something. Why wait when everything is available immediately? That is many people’s attitude of life today. What is the problem with such an attitude? People easily give up on waiting. And they miss the opportunity to grow which only comes through patient waiting. People are becoming swallow and weak in their character.

One day a father visited the college where his son just became a first-year student. He went to see the president of the college and asked the president if there was a short-cut whereby his son could get through college in less than the usual four years. He wanted his son to get a job and start making money sooner. The college president gave this reply, “Of course there is a way; it all depends on what you want your boy to be. When God wants to grow an oak tree, he takes several decades. When he wants to make a squash, he only takes several months. Do you want your son to be a squash or an oak tree?”

If we follow God’s timetable, we can be patient even if we do not see anything good according to our own expectations. God operates in eternity. Even if we feel and think that nothing good has happened to our lives for many years, in God’s timing it may be a moment. Psalm 90:4 says, “A thousand years in your (God’s) sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

Hudson Taylor would tell those who wanted to be missionaries to China that there are three indispensable requirements for a missionary:
#1. Patience #2. Patience #3. Patience

Although we feel that it is too long for us to wait, God never stops working to accomplish the promises of growth given to us. At His time, He will surely bring us the harvest.
James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

We need to hold on to this truth of gradual growth in life. When we are patient to wait for the proper procedures of growth, we will enjoy the wonders of growing and the best fruit in time. So, instead of hurrying up and pushing things to happen as we expect, we should patiently wait on God’s timing. Be patient when growth is slow. Wait for God’s timing.

2). Endure with hope for the harvest!
When a farmer sows a seed in the soil, and toils for the growth of the seed, he does that with hope. It is to get the harvest from the seed. He knows that the earth will not lie to him. He has hope that if he works diligently and waits patiently the harvest will surely come.

Because of the hope, after doing everything he can do, he will not give up. He will endure. Then at the time of harvest, he will forget all the hard labor for the growth of the seed. At that time, he will rejoice at the harvest. Many people who overcome obstacles and live great lives are the people of endurance.

* There was a general, who lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought in the American Revolution, George Washington. But he won the war.

* Edison tried over two hundred different elements before he found the right element to use in the light bulb. Over two hundred failures before he had a success.

* In 21 years, Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs, but he struck out 1330 times. He struck out twice as often as he hit a home run. He once said, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from taking a swing.”

* A famous novelist in England, John Creasy, got 753 rejections from publishers before he published his first book. He went on to publish 564 books.

* R.P. Macy failed seven times as an entrepreneur in retailing and then he started Macy’s department store.

When we sow the seed of life in Jesus’ gospel, the harvest time will surely come. God honors every labor we put in his spiritual life. The sufferings and labor and waiting while we work the seed of Jesus gospel will never go in vain. God will surely let us enjoy the wonders of real-life growth and the best fruit in time. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Do not get disappointed when you do not see visible blessings immediately while you work for the Lord and for people. Continue sowing the seed of the gospel with hope in your life and other people’s lives. Continue taking care of souls with hope in God’s unfailing grace.