THE ORIGINAL JOHNNY APPLESEED- MARK 4:1-20


  1. Introduction
    1. John Chapman
      1. Lived 1774-1847, born in Leominster, MA
      2. Settled in the Ohio River Valley after 1800, spent his life travelling thru OH, IN, IL planting nurseries of apple seedlings and became a symbol of the westward- moving American civilization.
      3. Did every seed Johnny Appleseed planted mature and bear fruit? Did that stop him from continuing his mission? Is it probable that there are apple-bearing trees living today that are the result of his planting?
    2. As a farm boy, I might think- "That is a careless and wasteful farmer", which is so typical of our modern thinking. We must always see immediate results. "What's the bottom line?"
      1. ONE NATION UNDER GOD- "How successful?" i.e. "How many baptisms/restorations?"
      2. Did God say preach and be successful?
        1. Isaiah 55:8-11
        2. Mark 16:15-16
        3. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
      3. Are we responsible for others' reaction to the Gospel? NO!!!
      4. We should thank God that we're only responsible for presenting the Gospel correctly.


  2. Faithful sowers of the Bible
    1. Noah- 120 years to build the ark
      1. How successful was Noah successful in turning souls back to God?
      2. Does that mean he didn't try? II Peter 2:5 "A preacher of righteousness." More specifically- a proclaimer, publisher, a town crier so to speak.
      3. Was Noah faithful in building the ark? What was the end result?
    2. Jonah You know the fish story, what about Nineveh?
      1. a great city, 3 days journey across- Jonah 3:3-4
      2. Population- more than 120,000 small children- 4:11
      3. Jonah 3:4 Jonah preaches an 8-word sermon; the entire city repents, and Jonah is angry.
    3. Apostles- Day of Pentecost Acts 2
      1. Did they convert all they preached to? Acts 2:41 "And they that gladly received his words were baptized." There must have been some who did not gladly receive his words.
      2. In terms of sheer #'s and %'s, and as defined in human terms, Peter and the apostles were unsuccessful. Thank God we're not judged by human standards!
    4. JESUS
      1. Most who heard him did not believe, even among his own family- John 7:5
      2. Most did not repent, even after seeing the signs- Matt. 11:20; John 11:45-46
      3. He treated everyone as they ought to be treated, did not sin with his mouth- was murdered
    5. SATAN
      1. faithfully sows the seed of discouragement to make us feel like failures so that we will give up.
        1. Knock a thousand doors- not one Bible study.
        2. Conduct 1000 Bible studies- not one convert.
      2. Try till the day you die- never converting one soul to Christ- are you a failure? NO!!! YOU NEVER FAIL UNTIL YOU FAIL TO TRY!!! Quitters never win, and Christians never quit.




  1. Our primary responsibility is to respond correctly to the Gospel:
    1. Faith- Romans 10:17
    2. Repentance- Acts 2:38, 3:19
    3. Confession- Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:10
    4. Baptism- Mark 16:16, Acts 22:16
    5. Live faithfully thereafter- Matthew 10:22; 20:1-16
    6. Living faithfully involves sowing the seed:
      1. John 8:31 "if you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."


      2. Romans 14:12 "every one of us shall give an account of himself to God."


      3. II Cor. 5:10 "for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil."


      4. John 15:5-6 "I am the vine; ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me, ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and the men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."