The Purpose of the People of God - 13:18-23
The Purpose of the People of God - Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 53:08
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The Purpose of the People of God
The Purpose of the People of God
INTRODUCTION GOES HERE
We’re far enough into Matthew that the recursion of it is going to start becoming more and more prominent and obvious as we go.
Recursion is the cyclical dealing of topics in Matthew.
Overal Structure
What was introduced in the Sermon on the Mount is going to be repeated throughout the rest of the Gospel.
Much of today will be reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount
So don’t be surprised when we are continuously pointing back to the Sermon on the Mount today, and in the rest of our study of Matthew.
The Sermon on the Mount marks the content of Jesus’ teaching and preaching, the Gospel of the Kingdom!
3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 “And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 “And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 “And others fell on the good soil and were yielding a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 “He who has ears, let him hear.”
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And Jesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Lest they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
20 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
Let’s Pray!
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower.
18 “You therefore, hear(!) the parable of the sower.
The “You therefore” connects this to the previous section.
What was that about?
We spent a lot of time in Isa 6:1-10 because vv9 & 10 are quoted in Mt 13:14-15
Jesus articulates that people do not hear and see, not because of divine decree, but because of their own hardness of hearts.
He then gives a beatitude to the 12:
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
But as we marked out the 12, though seeing and hearing, still do not understand!
12 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
We will see this at play today!
18 “You therefore, hear(!) then the parable of the sower.
Hear(!) = Understand!
More is given!
19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
λογοσ - Word/Message
What is the message of the kingdom?
What did Jesus preach?
23 And Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
So far, what has been the big idea of Jesus’ teaching?
What is the Gospel of the Kingdom?
Participation with Yahweh! SALVATION!
The Sermon on the Mount:
Characteristics of Jesus (5:3-10)
Invitation to Discipleship (5:11-12)
Warning about Discipleship (5:13)
Example of Discipleship (5:14-15)
This brings us to the purpose of the Sermon:
16 In this way shine your light before men, that they may see your good works and may glorify your Father in the heavens.
Continued:
Discipleship Commanded (5:16)
Requirement of the Law still stands (5:17-18)
Internal vs External Righteousness (5:19-20)
Description of Internal Righteousness (5:21-48)
How to be internally righteous!
First Triad (5:21-32)
Murder/Anger (5:21-26)
Adultery/Lust (5:27-30)
Divorce/Reason (5:31-32)
Second Triad (5:33-47)
Oaths/Your Word (5:33-37)
Resistance/Vulnerability (5:38-42)
Hate/Love (5:43-47)
Continued:
6:1-18 - Personal Practice in Secret
6:19-7:11 - Pursue the Kingdom First
7:12 - Summary Statement
7:13-27 - Wide Way vs Way of Wisdom
19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
who does this apply to? “anyone”
We like to jump to “the evil one comes and snatches away”
hears - “All the ones hearing”
does not understand
what did we establish last week?
That the word of God is understandable!
This is what Jesus has just told us!
It has been revealed!
This is someone that chooses not to understand!
Do we see this today?
Worldview
We see what we want to see!
Weigh everything against Scripture!
20 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
So we move to the rocky places
hears the word/message
receives it with joy!
We tend to get really excited at this, as we should!
21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
so when trouble arises, he falls away!
σκανδαλιζω
29 “But if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 “And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
This is in the context of internal righteousness, the call to discipleship!
Do you remember what has Jesus called the character of disciples?
These are the characteristics of disciples.
Dependent Upon God
Mourning
Humble/Gentle
Desiring Righteousness
Merciful
Singular in Purpose
Restorers of Relationships
Persecuted for Righteousness
Did you catch the last one there? These are the beatitudes!
21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
This person turns away because of persecution.
So what understanding they had, is taken away when they decide it is too much!
22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
So where as the last one dealt with conflict, persecution, this one deals with worry and wealth.
Worry and Wealth are both topics that are dealt with in the Sermon on the Mount.
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
But what is the source of this worry?
Where is the deceitfulness of wealth found?
the world!
This is the one who is distracted by the world
who has misaligned priorities!
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Get your priorities in order!
22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
And what is the result?
“becomes unfruitful”
Let’s put that into modern vernacular:
Becomes Stagnant
Stuck in a rut
Pursues the world over the Word
The person who never changes
Becomes bitter towards change
Let’s be blunt about this,
this isn’t necessarily a carnal Christian, though it includes that, this is the person who isn’t bearing fruit anymore.
Fruit in Matthew is typically referential of 3 things:
Literal Fruit (Jesus curses the fig tree)
Spoken Word (fruit of false teachers/ch 12 where we just were)
Something Observable (outpouring of character/deeds - Mt 3.8)
Later in this chapter in a parable it is “visible” (could be heard)
Discipleship
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Just because Paul does it, doesn’t mean Matthew does.
22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
So the understanding they had, is taken away.
23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
Hears and understands!
What does the one who understands do?
bears fruit and brings forth
hundredfold/sixty/thirty
We must be careful of judgment!
Keeping up with the Jones
This is not justification nor opportunity for stagnation!
What is the standard?
48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
τέλειος
Deut 18.13 (grammatically) Lev 19.2 (semantically)
Paraphrase:
“You shall walk in the provision of God’s covenants because you have been made for a purpose!”
23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
So the good soil must pursue God’s purpose for His people regardless of the outcome!
Take a step back and look at this thing as a whole
Why is Matthew writing?
Motivating the early church to get going and disciple the nations.
This has been the purpose of the people of God in both testaments!
He has been condemning the Pharisees for their blasphemy, their willful lack of understanding! (Beelzebul vs Holy Spirit)
For us to come to this text and try to assign the soils eternal destinies is to do something with this text that Jesus nor Matthew never intended.
Beside the road
Rocky soil
Among the thorns
Good soil
We can certainly argue this theologically and say that the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil are all “saved”, they’re all going to heaven.
47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.”
Gospel
Getting to heaven is not God’s highest desire for your life!
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We are to be His glory, His significance!
Just because Matthew is not writing about where one will spend eternity doesn’t mean it isn’t eternally significant!
So the parable is not about “salvation” (eternal destiny)
But rather about significance, about participation, about understanding!
So what do we do with this?
Takeaways:
Understanding is important
It takes time
We don’t worship Scripture
we worship God
But we know who He is through His word
It will not happen by accident
2. You can “switch” soils
Just like last week there is nothing that says you can’t
This is where the “parable” breaks down
It is a picture in time, not a prescription of the position one is in
3. Good soil bears fruit
The other 3 soils, not necessarily
Good soil, bears and brings forth fruit
This is where the clarification of eternal destiny is important
No different than the parable is trying to tell us who is and isn’t “saved” it’s also not trying to tell us the bearing fruit 100, 60, or 30 fold is required either.
This is what disciples do.
What soil are you?
Let’s Pray
23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
