The Good Soil and the Lamp

I. Introduction

1. Prayers

2. Scripture memory

Romans 8:25 ESV

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Title and start

Life replicates...

According to Nasa

“All living things have certain traits in common: Cellular organization, the ability to reproduce, growth & development, energy use, homeostasis, response to their environment, and the ability to adapt. Living things will exhibit all of these traits.”

Implanted in each created organism was a “seed,” programmed to enable the continuing replication of that type of organism.

Henry M. Morris

What is replication important to life

Why is discipleship important to the christian life then?

Today we’re returning to the issue of dirt and soil.

Make disciples reminds us that disciples are made. Disciples are not spontaneously created at conversion; they are the product of a process involving other believers. This making of disciples is the power of spreading Christianity.

David Guzik

Review

Jesus’ parable of the soils has been given

True hearing God results in re-proclamation

1) Jesus preaches in parables to conceal (4, 9-10)

2. Jesus preaches in parables to reveal (4, 9-10)

We have the parable of the soils

1. The word always works (5a, 11)

2. Those stolen by the devil (5b, 12)

3. Those tempted away by the world (6, 13) (by the world)

4. Those lured away by the flesh (7, 14)

Today we get to what does Fruit look like?

5. Those who grow by the spirit who reveals (8, 15)

I think often we only imagine dry Israel

We previously talked about how there are lots of Rocks all

Good soil does exist in Israel

Easton’s Bible Dictionary (Gennesaret)

The plain of Gennesaret has been called, from its fertility and beauty, “the Paradise of Galilee

Jospehus described

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Location

Josephus described the plain as fertile with a wide variety of species, including walnut trees, palm trees, fig trees, and olive trees (Josephus, Antiquities, 3.515–18)

their heart is honest and good because God has given them a heart of flesh

1. We need the new covenant promises

Ezekiel 36:26–27 “26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Ezekiel 11:19–21 ESV

19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”

iii. And Jesus does this by becoming our sin

2 Corinthians 5:21- For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

These will be humble people who know they are not better soil because of themselves, but because of God

Titus 3:5 ESV

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Compare this with Romans 4:2–5, how could we boast if we could say we made our soil soft?

Romans 4:2–5 ESV

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

-He could say he was somehow better, but instead

1 Corinthians 1:27–31 ESV

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

and what does this new heart soil produce?

The word means to bear a great crop

Scriptures lays out that the point of knowing the truths is to produce this good fruit in our lives, meaning good works

Colossians 1:9–10 ESV

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

John macarthur correctly states:

John 1–11: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Subsequent Response

salvation does not come from human effort, achievement, or moral works, but from a faith that inevitably produces good works (Eph. 2:10; cf. Matt. 3:10; 7:16–20; 12:33; 13:23; Luke 6:43–46; Eph. 5:8–9; Col. 1:10). A “faith” that does not produce fruit is dead, meaning that it is not really biblical faith at all (James 2:14–26).

What are some examples of good fruit that can be produced?

Good fruit can be a lot more than we think

We tend to think that Our good works are in one category of our lives , but the things of everyday life — things like commuting to work , raising our kids , and living in our communities — are over in another category , strikingly disconnected

Good works are anything we do in faith.

Book quotes Highlight (yellow) - 5. Why the Things You Do Every Day Matter: Productivity Is Really About Getting Good Works Done > Page 77 · Location 1289

you just need to go about all the things you already do — but do them in faith . That is , for the glory of God and the good of others

Think of the example of the godly widow in

1 Timothy 5:10 ESV

10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.

What kind of good works does she do?

Being a mom

Having people over

Loving those in need

So doing a good job in whatever you do is abounding in fruit

Then let’s see the amount of fruit

Mark gives us more details, how many times?

Mark 4:20 ESV

20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

100x. Mark gives us various, but here is the short version

John Calvin says, “The fertility of that soil which yields a thirty-fold produce is small compared with that which yields a hundred-fold…[but Jesus] classes together all kinds of soil which do not entirely disappoint the labors and expectations of the husbandman.

Then they flow this message to others

No humble Christian tires of confessing that he or she has strayed from the narrow road and needs to turn back to God (1 Kings 18:37).

So they share it with others

Jesus said

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

C.S. Lewis pointed out then

Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue self but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness, or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. it cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection. -CS Lewis

This is what brings God glory, not our moral perfection, our message of striving after Jesus Christ

What ways can we show ourselves to be good soil bearing fruit a hundredfold?

Let the truth reverberate to others

Evangelism video

“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

The parable of the lamp (16)

Lamps were made from a clay bowl

and the rim was folded over to help contain the oil. A spout was pinched in place at one end, into which the wick would be placed. When the clay had dried, the lamp would be fired to a dull brown shade.

Olive oil provided the most common form of lamp fuel (Ex 27:20), and the average lamp could hold enough oil to burn through the night.

Then a wick was placed in the hole to allow fuel to reach the flame

Jesus is making another world picture with a spiritual image that is pretty obvious

What is the purpose of having a lamp?

The provide light in darkness

We tend to use candles for romantic

RC sproul wrote:

Most of us, however, will have experienced temporary power cuts where, for one reason or another, the supply of electricity is stopped. Sometimes without warning our homes are thrown into darkness, and we scrabble about in the dark to find candles to light the rooms. Candlelight is not very powerful compared to electric illumination, but when things are plunged into total darkness, we welcome whatever light we can get from the candle

So, why would not put it under a vase like this?

Or why not under a bed?

Instead, clearly it’s placed on a stand like this bronze oil lamp

Or these large pikes

So, then Jesus gives us a warning

The warning (17-18)

The hidden or secret things

They will come to light, meaning to clearly revealed

Go back to verse 10… why were truths in parables?

So parables are part of this future judgment, separating the people of God from those who pretend

John Macarthur writes, “Jesus' parables had a clear twofold purpose: They hid the truth from self-righteous or self-satisfied people who fancied themselves too sophisticated to learn from Him, while the same parables revealed truth to eager souls with childlike faith--those who were hungering and thirsting for righteousness”

Paul described this future revealing this way

1 Corinthians 3:11–15 ESV

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Because Jesus is not content with us just letting his voice be one among many

He says listen to me, do what I say.

The pharisees thought they knew God, but the refused to listen to Jesus, so judgment would come

So what is the hearer to do?

Share the light

The purpose of the light is that those, i.e., the “others” of 8:10, may share in the light of the gospel

Why should you evangelize?

1. Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2. Our reasons for being saved (1 Peter 2:9)

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

3. Based on God’s judgment (2 Corinthians 5:11-16)

2 Corinthians 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

JI packer- “We glorify God by evangelizing, not only because evangelizing is an act of obedience, but also because in evangelism we tell the world what great things God has done for the salvation of sinners. God is glorified when His mighty works of grace are made known

What is the gospel?

a. John 3:14–18

John 3:14–18 ESV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

God:

· Isaiah 6:1–3. God is holy.

Man:

· Ephesians 2:1–3. We are dead in our transgressions.

Christ

· John 3:16. Jesus is the way to God.

· Romans 5:6–8. Jesus died for us.

Response:

· Romans 10:9–11. We must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts.

Cost

Luke9:23–24.We must deny ourselves and take up the cross.

So, why should we share this message?

Close & prayer

God, enable us to not miss you for the gifts you give

Lord, we pray