Sermon Tone Analysis

31-35

What a day Jesus is having – He’s been with the multitude and been unable to eat – His friends thought He was mad, then the Scribes turned up calling Him Satan, and now His earthly family are there!

But why are they there?

Are they there to hear Him?

I doubt it as they are standing without, or are they there because they think He should rest and eat and above all stop preaching to the crowds?

This is the probable answer.

They have come to take control.

In the world it is always something commended when someone studies hard depriving themselves of sleep and food but when it is a spiritual goal then it is frowned on.

Some families would want to stop the Gospel being preached by one of their members because it reflects upon them and they do not want to align themselves with the gospel, as it seems foolishness to them and have fear of being embarrassed.

Our families are not always in the right.

Well, His own family thought He had gone too far.

Why?

 Jesus had thrown away personal security.

He left home and a good business and became a wandering preacher.

 Jesus had thrown away Personal Safety—Most people play it safe.

If it isn’t safe we even think it is wrong.

Remember the Pharisees and the Herodians are out to kill him.

 Jesus had thrown away Reputation.

Last week we saw he was being accused of being a tool of Satan.

 Jesus had thrown away Comfort.

He wasn’t even able to eat He was so busy!

(Adapted from Allan Quak on sermoncentral.com)

Jesus, then, does not rise to meet His earthly family for this would neglect those seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness.

His goal was the salvation of others and He gave honour to those present as if they were His mother, brothers and sisters.

Let us learn wisdom about how to deal with our families and friends who are unbelievers.

Here we see it is those who do His commands that are accorded the title of being His mother, brother or sister.

And what a privilege it is.

We are treated with the same love that He has to His own family.

We are the King’s family.

We should also give one another the same respect as being members of the same family.

We should also want to be with each other.

We should seek one another’s good and look out for each other.

We also must be about our family’s business.

And what is that?

It is to hear and to do the will of God.

We do find Jesus’ earthly family in the upper room at Pentecost together with the other disciples having become disciples themselves – James, the brother of Jesus even wrote the letter bearing His name in our Scriptures.

1-20

Now Jesus returns to teaching by the sea and mainly does this in the form of parables which are stories with a spiritual content.

And immediately we are thrown into that very familiar Parable of the Sower also known as the Parable of the Soils.

Contained within each seed, which here we know it to be the Word of God, within each seed is the power for life, there is so much potential.

Of course, the Word of God is powerful and fruitful above any earthly seed.

Who is the sower?

In the immediate context it is Jesus.

In our context it is you and I. Who is the soil?

In the immediate context it is the people listening to Jesus.

In our context we can take it to mean ourselves or those whom we seek to reach with the Gospel.

And the soil speaks to the receptiveness of each heart.

Either it is well prepared and accepting of the Word of God or else the Word hardens the hearts of those who refuse it or somewhere in-between.

Plainly, I could concentrate upon those hearers of God’s Word in Jesus’ day and their mainly lack of response but then I would be avoiding the questions we need to ask of ourselves such as:

How often do we come to church and hear God say something to us and not remember what it was?

Within minutes we cannot remember what it is that it was about?

Sunday-by-Sunday we hear the Word of God preached in truth but after the service do we remember what we were called to do? Did we repent?

Did we obey?

Were we encouraged?

Did we encourage one another?

Do the conversations after a service distract us from what we heard?

Has the Word that was sown been so quickly taken away?

IS this not the word that was sown in the heart but taken away?

How often do we come to church and hear God say something to us and it affects us so much that we are determined to do what it takes to put it into practice and are very enthusiastic but within a week or two it is all forgotten?

Is there something God has been saying to us and we have not yet actioned it?

Are we as zealous for the Lord as we used to be when we were not ashamed to preach the gospel but now, have the years taken their toll?

Are we quick to speak a word in season for our Lord or are we now much too sensible?

It is fine when we are together but what about out there?

We hear that people are going to a lost eternity: If we truly understand then we will be zealous for our Lord in this area.

Don’t allow discouragement make the seed of none effect.

IS this not the word that was sown on stony ground because we do not take the time and effort to put it into practice, so much so, that our Christian life stalls?

How often do we come to church and hear God say something to us and our thoughts are on what to eat, our Sunday lunch, how much money we have and need and want, or what is on TV, or what work we have to do, or talking with our friends?

Are we taken up more by the things of this world than we are of the next?

We forget that the things that are seen are temporal and have no lasting value.

When it is put like that it puts these things in perspective.

The things that the world lusts after are of the flesh and the eyes (1 John 2.16) and the world is at enmity with God so we should desire the opposite.

This person’s heart is divided:

like the heart of the girl to which a young man once proposed.

He said, “Darling, I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world.

I want you to marry me.

I’m not rich.

I don’t have a yacht or a Rolls Royce like Johnny Brown, but I do love you with all my heart.”

She thought for a minute and then replied, “I love you with all my heart, too, but tell me more about Johnny Brown.

IS this not he word sown on thorny ground?

Don’t allow these things to choke any longer.

Crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts.

Put off the old man.

Friendship with the world is hatred towards God.

The problem is that there is no growth in the Christian life.

The Christian who is in a thorny ground state is an unhappy one.

For those who will be happy in Jesus we have to trust and obey.

How often do we come to church and hear God say something to us and we hear gladly, and we put it into practice in our daily lives and persevere no matter what with discipline?

IS this not the word sown on good soil?

And because of this we put down strong roots and above ground we become this plant that produces more seed planting again and again reproducing itself.

We teach each other in our manner of lives: learning humility, holiness, love, patience and many other things by each others’ examples.

It is not possible to hide this kind of fruit as those who are Christians will bear at least some fruit.

Our response to God’s Word is always one of these four.

Let us not allow there to be a single seed lost because of our neglect.

These soils also should serve too encourage us to evangelise.

The seed will do its job if only we would tell people about Jesus and the good news.

This parable shows us that sometimes the seed will land in the right place, in a prepared heart.

Those who receive the truth will receive more.

Those who don’t will lose what they have.

The seed does not bounce off every heart that hears.

How one hears and receives is a mystery:

I know not how this saving faith

  To me He did impart,