The Soils: Hearing the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Listening is one of the hardest things to do in life. Especially things we don’t care about.
Need: Hard to listen to things we should care about.
Luke 8:1-15
Main Idea: Your heart is displayed by how you hear the gospel.
Names several women tied to Jesus’ ministry. Typically passage is focused on the sower. That’s Jesus and the church. Sows the seed. Application is typically about you sharing the gospel to anyone and everyone. That’s true, but that’s not the purpose of the parable. Disciples ask for the purpose and he gives it. Verses 9-10. Disciples given secrets to the kingdom, but others it has to be described in parables. Everyone can understand agriculture, but not how it applies to the kingdom. Verse 11. The whole parable hangs on this. In his description, every soil hears the word of God. First 3 soils represent the 3 enemies of man: Satan, flesh, world.
Imperative #1: Avoid defenseless hearing (5, 12)
Exp. This one represents those who hear God’s word, but don’t guard their hearts. Verse 5. The illustration shows it was trampled and birds ate it. The explanation: Verse 12. Those who don’t guard God’s word will have it stripped away.
Ill. Nicaragua, Karen had her passport stolen. She sat it down for a few minutes. In that same manner, not guarding God’s word, Satan will snatch it up.
Arg. Psalmist writes in Psalm 119.
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Arg. Based on what Jesus is saying, you can hear God’s word, the gospel, and not store it or guard it. Satan will do everything to take it! Satan does not want you to love God’s Word. He knows how powerful it is. Satan wants your heart more than he wants God’s Word.
Christ - Satan tried to convince Jesus, but he wasn’t having it. He offered him everything, but Jesus’ displayed his defense: God’s Word.
App. What do we do?
Memorize Scripture. Walk through a book of the Bible. Versify app.
Meditate on Scripture. Chew on it all day.
Imperative #2: Avoid shallow hearing (6, 13)
Exp. If defenseless represents Satan, shallow represents the flesh. Verse 6. Withered because it couldn’t go deep. Verse 13. Receive it with joy = not saving faith. That would be against Scripture because they have no root. Believe for a while but fall away during testing. If you fall away from God during hard times, you couldn’t have experienced saving faith. Biblically. Jesus doesn’t sugar coat what it costs to follow him. Our flesh hears “life abundantly” and forgets “take up your cross.” Our flesh hears “eternal life” and forgets “I’m sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” The dotted line is clear.
Ill. Reminds of me of the greatest lie in our generation. “Have you read the terms and agreement?” We lie every time. Likely, if we read them, we might not always agree. Saving faith in Jesus accepts the hardships to come. Not falling away when they do.
Arg. The author of Hebrews reminds the Jews of this.
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Arg. Satan wants your heart. Your flesh wants only the good parts, not the deep parts.
App. What do we do?
Endure. Trials will come.
Go deeper into God’s Word. May it lead you to love God more.
Christ - How can we do this? Because Jesus endured the ultimate testing. Bear the marks of Jesus.
Imperative #3: Avoid distracted hearing (7, 14)
Exp. Third soil represents the world. Verse 7. Thorny soil. Choking out the seed. Verse 14. Hear God’s word, but they get distracted by the cares, riches, an pleasures of life. Fruit does not mature. There is no growth. They hear God’s word, but are distracted by worldly things, and their hearts go with them. You will fall into what you want rather than what you are called.
Ill. This is why you take notes at church, but then get drunk at a party tonight. Lead a Bible study, then go too far with your girlfriend. The peer pressure, pleasures of life distract you from the truth. You’ve literally heard the truth, and decided to do something else with it. Distracted hearing.
Arg. Warnings all over Scripture.
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Christ - Jesus had no pleasures to indulge. He didn’t have a home to rest his head. Creator of everything and lived a simple, holy life.
App. What do we do?
Eliminate competing pleasures. Outcome: Joy.
Eliminate competing sins. Outcome: Joy.
Imperative #4: Embrace the gospel (8, 15)
Exp. Finally for fourth soil. The proper response. Verse 8. Hundredfold = the most. First seed was stamped out, second couldn’t grow deep, third was choked, the fourth grew vigorously. Verse 15. These hold onto God’s word with an honest heart and bear fruit. He gives the how and the outcome.
Ill. Sports team. Coach gives instructions, you don’t listen, things don’t work. You sittin there saying, what happened? You didn’t listen. Hearing the gospel and doing something else is actually foolish.
Christ - Jesus held fast to God’s word, and he bore fruit. But the gospel message is this: You were dead in your sins, but God being in rich in mercy made Jesus a sacrifice to set you free. Faith in him brings about this salvation. To not embrace that is to choose sin and death when you can have freedom and life.
App. What do we do?
Listen. Verse 8. You have the chance to listen. Hear what he says.
Cling. Hold onto it. Don’t let Satan take it or your flesh remove it.
Bear fruit. Abstaining from sin so one person can know Jesus is worth it.
Conclusion
Listen. Cling. Bear fruit.
