Hot Compost Evangelism

Please turn to Luke 8:4-15 as we consider Hot Compost Evangelism.

Many of you know that I dabble in gardening. I can’t really say that I take a scientific approach to gardening as many do today. But I often watch YouTube videos from those who do. Unfortunately, much of the information they share about microbial life goes right over my head — or is it, in one ear and out the other? But I am trying to become a better gardener. I’m not real sure that we save a lot of money on veggies, because the cost of building a raised bed garden might possibly offset the money saved on buying veggies. But it does provide me with something productive to do in my spare time, and at this point in the game, Luke, our five year old adopted son, is extremely interested in gardening, and so, hopefully, we will make a future gardener out of him.

There are at least three reasons why I have shifted from having a traditional in-ground garden to having mostly raised bed gardens. One reason is my back — it doesn’t like to bend too much, and raised beds require less bending — although there is still a significant amount of bending, and back pain to go with it. A second reason is that our piece property has what must be the largest rabbit population in the northern hemisphere, and I have a hard time keeping them wascally wabbits out of my garden. They even sometimes manage to get into my raised beds, so each time I make I new raised bed, I make it taller than the last. A third reason for using raised beds is that I can have a measure of control over the quality of the soil that is being used in my gardening. Of course, soil is the most expensive part of raised bed gardens.

You might be asking what all of this talk has to do with our series on The Ten Words/Ten Commandments. Well, it may seem like a stretch, but there is a commandment that was broken in our text for this morning, although you might not see it at first look. But the truth is, the text has more to do with evangelism than it does with the Ten Commandments per se. In truth, I was heading a different direction for this week’s message until after lunch on Wednesday. And so the work I did earlier in the week will actually be towards next week’s message. But something I read in regard to next week’s message got the wheels of my mind spinning, and the result is this week’s message about gardening. You see, I read a comment by Charles Spurgeon which caused me to ask this question: “Are no-till gardens biblical?”

Hopefully I will circle back to that question in a little bit. For now, let’s read through our text.

Luke 8:4–15 NASB 95

When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Let’s begin by looking at

The Details of the Parable

Let’s first consider what a parable is, and the purpose for Christ’s use of parables.

What is a Parable

Note that,

A Parable is a Simple Story Used to Teach a Moral or a Spiritual Lesson

Jesus often used things from nature, or even from the surrounding scene in a parable. It is quite possible that Jesus and His audience had seen in the distance a farmer sowing seed, and this “inspired” the telling of this parable.

When interpreting a parable it is easy to go too far, and ascribe hidden meaning to every small or minor detail of the story.

Typically in a parable, there is one specific thing which is being addressed. While there are various details which are used to get to the meat of the analogy, it is the interpreters duty to determine what the main point is. And that is not always an easy task. In the case of this parable, if it had not been explained by Christ to His disciples, the meaning of it would have remained hidden. Those hearing the parable may have simply been left with the idea that it was a lovely story, or a strange story, or whatever adjective might be used to describe it.

Let’s consider,

Christ’s Purpose in Using Parables

This same parable is recorded in Matthew 13, along with a bunch of other parables. And Matthew gives us the background for the telling of these parables. In Matthew 12, on the same day in which Jesus told this whole slew of parables, a couple of things happened. First, the scribes and Pharisees rejected Jesus because of healing on a man on the Sabbath Day. They went so far as to claim that Jesus was casting out demons in the power of Satan. In response to this Jesus,who was empowered by the Holy Spirit to work the various miracles which He did, informed these religious hypocrites that a blasphemy committed against God the Son, may be forgivable. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable — unpardonable.

The second event which occurred was that Jesus’ mother and brothers came wanting to speak to Him. And He pointed at His disciples and said that these were His family members — those who do the will of His Father in heaven.

In our text Jesus gave the disciples a very brief explanation of why He was speaking in parables. Look at verse 10.

Luke 8:10 NASB 95

And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

Note that,

Jesus Spoke in Parables to Hide the Meaning of His Words from Those Who Were Not Members of His Flock

Mysteries of the kingdom are those truths which have been hidden from all ages in the past and revealed in the New Testament. Paul used this term more than any other NT author. My favorite of his uses is found in

1 Corinthians 15:51 NASB 95

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

When Gail was the head of the nursery at the church in Rochester, she posted this verse on the wall! I always got a kick out of it, although it was definitely a misapplication of this verse. The wonder of this passage is that we will receive a new glorified body which is not tainted with sin. But, I need to get back to our present text.

So far, we have looked at what a parable is, and why Jesus was using them. There are other details to this parable which we need to consider. We will just briefly mention them here, and then circle back to them when we look at the meaning of the parable.

Look at verse 5.

Luke 8:5 NASB 95

“The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.

There are multiple details to consider in this verse.

The Sower

The Seed

The Road or Path

The Birds

Each of these details is important to the understanding of this text. And we will circle back to them in a little bit.

For now, look at verse 6.

Luke 8:6 NASB 95

Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

The sower and the seed remain the same, but there is a change in the soil condition, which we will consider in a few moments.

Look at verse 7.

Luke 8:7 NASB 95

Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

Once again, the sower and the seed remain the same, but the soil condition has changed.

Look at verse 8.

Luke 8:8 NASB 95

Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The condition of the soil is the most important aspect of gardening. If you have poor soil, you have poor production. You may get some production, but not nearly as good is if the soil is good.

In my backyard, stretching into the church’s yard, I have slowly put together, with a lot of help from both Derek and Joe, seven raised bed boxes. Up until last year, my most productive box was the farthest one from the house. But last year it did not produce well at all. Why? My best guess is that I did not do a very good job of amending the soil. Each year the crops you grow take needed nutrients out of the soil. And if these nutrients are not replaced, eventually it will affect your harvest yield.

Let’s move on to consider

The Meaning of the Parable

Remember that not everyone was privileged to learn the meaning of this parable from the mouth of Jesus. Only His disciples did so. And even today, though many folks who do not belong to Jesus can read His explanation in the text, still the meaning is hid from them. Why is that? Because God chooses whom He will reveal Himself to. Without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, or at least the preparatory work which the Spirit does in the hearts of those who are numbered along with the elect, the spiritual truths taught in Christ’s parable cannot be discerned.

After discussing with His disciples the reason for speaking in parables, Jesus went on to explain the parable. Look at verse 11-12.

Luke 8:11–12 NASB 95

“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

Notice that,

Jesus Does Not Identify the Sower

Why do you think that is? Mostly because the sower is incidental to this story. The important aspect of this story is in regards to the seed and the soil.

Notice next that,

The Seed in the Word of God

In this context the Word of God equals the message of the gospel. I have sometimes used a four word thingamajigit to help me remember the content of the gospel message.

Ruler/Creator

Rebel

Redeemer

Receiver

God is the Creator of all, and therefore the ruler of all. He established a requirement of sinless perfection in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But the problem is that man is born in rebellion against God. From the very moment when a person takes his or her first breath they are a sinner, and in rebellion against God.

It is by using the Ten Commandments that we help people to understand that they have rebelled against God by breaking His commandments.

Charles Spurgeon stated that the Law is the plow which prepares the soil for planting the seed. This is the statement that made me ask if no-till gardening is biblical!

God provided a Redeemer by putting forward His Eternal Son to be the propitiation for our sins. In His death on the cross God’s justice was satisfied through Christ’s atoning work. He became sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Not only was God’s justice satisfied, but God also became the justifier of the ungodly who place their faith and hope in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

But one must receive Jesus Christ in order to be brought into the flock of Christ, in order to become a member of the family of God.

Note that,

The Road/Path Refers to People Whose Hearts are Hardened to the Gospel Message

Look again at verse 12.

Luke 8:12 NASB 95

Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

John MacArthur noted that, “Jesus was not referring to a thoroughfare or highway, but to the beaten paths that separated the narrow strips of cultivated land. Farmers used those paths to access their plowed fields, and travelers used them to travel through the countryside (cf. Matt. 12:1).” (John MacArthur, Luke 6–10, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 188.)

In those days, the sower would take a handful of whatever seed he was sowing, and broadcast it around and let the seed fall where it may. Some of the seed inevitably fell on the hard-packed soil of these beaten paths, and it was impossible for it to grow.

This type of soil represents hard-hearted people who have heard the gospel message, but their hearts are too hardened by sin to embrace the message. In the context of this parable, it is most likely a reference to the Pharisees who were charging Jesus with driving out Satan by the power of Satan. But is certainly not limited to them. Early on in His Galilean ministry, the people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, rejected Him out of familiarity with Him.

The interesting thing is that most of the hard-hearted people Jesus encountered were those who were deeply religious. Such folks have an established works based — man based religion.

In this case they were familiar with the Law, but they were blind to the truth that they were offenders of the Law. They didn’t understand that the Law was both external and internal. They thought that as long as they didn’t commit the physical act it didn’t matter about the internal aspect of any given Law.

Notice that

The Birds of the Air (vs. 5) Refers to the Devil

Satan does not want anyone to embrace the message of the gospel. And when the seed is planted on hard-hearted people, the devil comes and snatches the seed away before it can penetrate into the soil of the heart.

Moving on, the next type of soil mentioned is the rocky soil. MacArthur wrote, “Jesus was not referring to soil strewn with rocks and boulders, since those would have been turned up by the plowing and removed. In many places, however, there was an underlying rock bed deep enough below the surface to avoid being struck by the plow.” (John MacArthur, Luke 6–10, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 189.)

Among the things I’ve learned about raised bed gardens is that if the soil is not deep enough the plants will not produce well. As a matter of fact, they may seem to be growing like a weed, but eventually they will wither away. Depending on the plant, you need to have between 8 and 12 inches of soil in a raised bed. My raised beds are between 15” high and 32” high. It takes about a 30” height to keep the rabbits out of the garden. In order to save on the high cost of good soil I have filled the bottom have of the boxes with organic material such as dead logs, brush, and leaves. The problem with that is that as these materials decay over time and as the decay the volume goes down in the box. So each year I am having to add more soil to compensate. That’s one of the reasons why I have that big pile of leaves. I am trying to make leaf compost and leaf mold which can be used instead of purchasing soil. It’s a lot of work, but it’s free!

Look at verse 13.

Luke 8:13 NASB 95

Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

Note that,

Trials & Testings Separate True Believers from Pretenders

“The shallow rocky soil pictures those who make a superficial profession of faith. These people seem at first to be the opposite of the hard-hearted ones represented by the roadside soil. Far from rejecting the truth when they hear it proclaimed, they initially receive the word with joy. Their euphoria may convince many that their conversion is real. They are not only interested and receptive, but also exuberant and exhilarated—but not for long. The problem is that since these have no firm root they only believe for a while.” (John MacArthur, Luke 6–10, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 192.)

MacArthur pointed out that “Emotion is not a definitive indicator of spiritual reality. Salvation is a work of God, a divine transaction that may or may not produce an immediate emotional reaction.” (John MacArthur, Luke 6–10, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 192.)

The third kind of soil is referred to as thorny soil. In itself it looks like good soil. But when the crop starts to grow, the thorns and thistles overtake the sowed crop and steal the nutrients from the soil. God had told Adam that because of his sin in the Garden of Eden he would have an unending struggle with thorns and thistles — thanks a lot, Adam!

Look at verse 14.

Luke 8:14 NASB 95

The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

I would imagine that we all know people who had an initial response to the gospel which seemed to be sincere. But then as life goes on, they become so focused on money or careers that they leave little time for God.

Note that,

The Thorns Refer to a Love for This World and Its System

The Apostle John wrote,

1 John 2:15–17 NASB 95

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

This brings us to the final type of soil, which is referred to as good soil.

Look at Christ’s explanation in verse 15.

Luke 8:15 NASB 95

But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Only the good soil produces fruit. The soil on the path is to hard for the seed to even be buried in the ground. And in most cases seeds have to be buried in the ground to produce life. This kind of reminds me of how Jesus had to be buried in the ground in order to produce the fruit of salvation. He was buried, but then rose again, just like a buried seed dies and brings forth new life. And by His death we have been born again of the Spirit.

Fruit encompasses the good works that accompany salvation (Matt. 3:8; John 15:16), including both attitudes (Gal. 5:22–23) and actions (Col. 1:10; Phil. 1:11). Attitude fruit produces action fruit, and to attempt to generate action fruit apart from it, results in legalism, such as that which the Lord condemned in the scribes and Pharisees.

In first century Israel, their land was not always very productive. It was dry and arid. Most farmers would have been happy with a 7% yield from their sown crop. In Matthew’s account Jesus referred to the yield from the good soil as being some 100 %, some 50%, and some 30%. Luke simply refers to it being 100%. In any case, it was a miraculous yield. It exceeded all imaginations. And such is the yield of the spiritual seed sown in good soil. It is a miraculous work of God.

I promise not to be too much longer, but let’s briefly consider what I’m calling

Hot Compost Evangelism

Some have asserted that we can expect that a quarter of the people which we share the gospel with will positively respond to the message. I think that it is an error to put any type of number to the expected response. The point of this parable is not how many respond, but to differentiate between the types of soil. I think that most active evangelists of any age would have been ecstatic about a 25% response to the gospel message.

There was a group of missionaries with ABWE who were studying this parable together (most likely from Matthew’s gospel account). And they asked the question, “can bad soil be turned into good soil?”

In an actual gardening situation, with patience, hard work, and time you can turn most bad soils into good soil. You do so by adding other organic materials to your soil. Over time you will eventually get good results.

Though this works in actual gardening, does it work in spiritual gardening? I believe it does sometimes — maybe not as predictably as in a regular garden. But the thing is,

Our Job is to Plant and Water the Seed, But it is God’s Job to Make it Grow

Most, if not all of you came to faith before I ever arrived on the scene. And so, for you I have been one who waters the seed. Although, in the majority of my sermons I also seek to plant seed because you never know when a person who is not presently a believer will be in our midst.

In my own life it was a Sunday School teacher or children’s church teacher who plowed the ground preparing my heart for the seed which my mother would plant. And there have been many pastors, teachers, and friends, some from this assembly, who have been watering the seed that was planted. But it is the work of God to bring the seed to life.

This winter I have been trying to make hot compost. Of course, sometimes the compost cools off. In order to make hot compost you need four materials. You need carbon rich materials, which is what I am using the fall leaves for. You need nitrogen rich materials such as non-cooked vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, pumpkins, etc, all of which I have used in my compost. Mostly now it is down to adding coffee grounds since I can usually find them from a coffee shop for free. You also need water — not too much — you want the stuff in your pile to feel like a rung-out spunge. And finally you need air. In order to get air into your pile you need to turn it every so often. I’m trying to do so once a week, but I have not been as consistent as I should be.

As I was turning one of my three piles I started thinking about how this might be related to evangelism. Earlier in the week this pile had reach the temperature of 150 degrees, which is the optimal temperature. At that temperature it is hot enough to kill seeds from unwanted weeds, but not so hot as to kill all the microbial activity which helps to make the compost. I don’t think that I captured it in the pictures I took, but there was a lot of steam coming off this pile, which was still at 110 degrees as I turned it.

This made me think of what Spurgeon had said about the Law being the plow of the gospel. Perhaps if he had known about the hot composting method he would have found an analogy for that as well. The Law turns up the heat on those who hear it because it convicts and convinces them of sin. That is why it is so important to use the Law when we witness to others.

John Wesley writes,

The very first end of the Law [is], namely, convicting men of sin; awakening those who are still asleep on the brink of Hell.... The ordinary method of God is to convict sinners by the Law, and that only.

There is something else I thought of in relationship to this hot compost evangelism. And that is that the heat distinguishes between true believers and pretenders. When the heat of trials come to pretenders they fall away. But when the heat of trials is applied to true believers they grow in their walk with Christ. They build endurance, which produces a hope which does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We have considered Your Word this morning. As we do so we will either respond by rejecting Your Word, becoming indifferent to Your Word, or embracing the truth of Your Word. I pray that our response would be that we would embrace its truth, this day, and always and forevermore.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Closing Song: #797

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Verse 1 & 2

Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied. Come to God’s own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field, Fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade, and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we Wholesome grain and pure may be.