Sermon Tone Analysis

Luke 8:4-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

Two Out Of 45 For Salesmen

 

The average insurance agent makes forty-five weekly calls on prospects.

Of these, only fifteen listen to him.

Of those fifteen, only two put their names on the dotted line.

If an insurance agent calls on forty-five people and sells only two policies, should soul winners be discouraged if they make a thousand calls, and bring only one soul to Jesus?

Certainly Not!

 

Introduction

 

In today's society Christians have gained a wrong perspective of discipleship and evangelism.

We can obtain instant coffee, three minute noodles, one hour photographs and the list goes on.

In contrast to this the Bible that evangelism is hard work like farming.

This morning we will look at the parable of the sower.

The Lord equates evangelism with sowing seed.

/Why does Jesus use this example?/

Because farming is hard work.

It requires both time and God's help to gain a harvest.

A farmer can work hard and still not reap a harvest if the rains don't come.

Farmers have to work long and hard before a crop is ready for harvest.

Although many people followed Jesus Christ very few were prepared to count the cost of being a disciple.

Jesus spoke this parable to warn people that they must not only hear the Gospel, they must obey it too.

Christ also instructs his disciples of the different responses the lost will make when we share the Gospel.

There are two points that we will see in this parable.

*/There Is One Kind Of Seed, There Are Many Kinds Of Soil.

/*

 

/Firstly, /    There Is One Kind Of Seed

/ /

*Luke 8:4-5a,11: */And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:/ /A sower went out to sow his seed.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

/

/ /

/a.

The Seed Is Powerful/

/ /

The seed is God's Word and the sower is God's servant.

/Why is God Word called seed?/

Because seed has new life within it.

When God spoke the worlds came into being.

God's Word is powerful.

It accomplishes His purposes.

*Isaiah 55:10-11:*/ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

/God's Word has the power to transform sinners into new creations.

*Romans 1:16* says that /the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.

/When God's Word is received in the human heart and believed it brings forth new life.

Yet, without God's Word there can be no new life!

/ /

*1 Peter 1:23-25:*/ Having been born again, *not of corruptible seed but incorruptible*, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers, and its flower falls away, *but the word of the Lord endures forever.*

*Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.*/

*/ /*

Spurgeon Tests The Acoustics

 

Charles Spurgeon, once while testing acoustics in Agricultural Hall in London, rang out over the empty building,/ Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world!/

A workman up in the ceiling heard the message, was convicted, went home, knelt before the Lord and found salvation.

God's Word is powerful, it has the power to produce new life.

/As I read God's Word in hospital to Thelma Funnel a woman in the next bed was moved to tears.

/

 

/b.

The Seed Is Propagated/

/ /

*Luke 8:5* /A sower went out to sow his seed.

And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it./

/ /

The word */sow/* speirw means */to scatter seed /*or*/ to sow seed.

/*He did this by throwing the seed as he walked through the field.

This corresponds to sharing the Gospel with the lost.

*Mark 4:14 says:* /The sower sows the word.

/Sowing seed is very much like preaching and witnessing for Christ.

When we share the Gospel with the lost we plant seeds in their hearts.

The Word we share has the potential to produce new life in that person.

Let me be very clear here, the seed is the Gospel.

Sharing the ten commandments is not the Gospel.

Proving that creation is right and evolution is wrong is not sharing the Gospel.

Although these things are important they cannot lead people to salvation.

Only the Gospel can do this.

When we share spiritual things with the lost let's always make a bee line for the cross.

Only /the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.

/

 

When a farmer plants a crop he doesn't plant just a few grains of seed.

He plants thousands, perhaps millions of seeds so that he can reap a great harvest.

So too, believers need to plant lots of seed so that they can reap a greater harvest.

Often people become discouraged after they have planted just a few seeds.

Because there doesn't seem to be any response they quit.

/How can you increase the number of people that respond to Christ?/

By planting more seed!

/ /

Moody’s Total Audiences

 

Moody — for whom Lincoln gave his only recorded Sunday school address — is credited with speaking publicly to 100,000,000 persons about spiritual matters.

Not a high school graduate himself, he founded a vast educational system that among many accomplishments has turned out one of ten American Protestant missionaries.

/ /

Early in his life, D.L. Moody made a promise to the Lord that he would share the Gospel with at least one person every day.

Of course on many days he shared with thousands.

But D.L. Moody didn't use this as an excuse from participating in personal evangelism.

He planted lots of seeds.

It is estimated that 1,000,000 people came to Christ through his ministry.

/ /

Application

/ /

Today, believers don't give much time to evangelism.

They excuse their actions by saying that people don't want to listen.

But this simply isn't true.

Many people want to know God's plan of salvation.

Others say that evangelism is not their gift.

Yet the Lord gave the Great Commission to every believer in every age.

/How can you spread the seed to the lost?/ */Firstly,/* we can share the Gospel with our unsaved family and friends.

*/Secondly,/* we can build friendships with our neighbors and work mates and invite them home for meal.

We can share the Gospel with them in a relaxed setting.

Your personal testimony mixed with appropriate verses of Scripture is a powerful way to share Christ with them.

*/Thirdly,/* we can loan the Jesus video to people and allow them to watch it at home.

All the time upholding them in prayer.

*/Fourthly, /*you can come door knocking.

Of course there are many other means as well.

/Will you sow the incorruptible seed?

Will you scatter the Gospel far and wide?

Will you help to produce a great harvest for Jesus Christ?/

/ /

/Secondly, /There Are Many Kinds Of Soil