A LOAM APPLICATION

A LOAM APPLICATION Matthew 13:1-9 Matthew 13:18-23 January 7,  2001 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory Preaching is serious business. Each week as I plan, study and prepare to bring a teaching from the Word of God to this platform, I am struck anew with what an awesome responsibility it is to handle the Word of God. That God would choose to send His Word to human beings through another sinful human being seems almost preposterous to us. The apostle Paul likened it to putting valuable treasure into clay jars that are cracked, chipped and fragile. He also said that handling the Message was a grave stewardship, and those who had that stewardship must be found faithful. At least 52 weeks a year this bumbling, inept preacher strives to know how best to present the Word without totally annihilating its impact on the flock. What approach to take? What anecdote or personal illustration will carry the point I am supposed to make here? Or, what humorous story will keep them awake and listening there? How can I make that point stick? Which allegory will bring proper emphasis to the spiritual truth in the text? Most of you know the ludicrous extent to which I will sometimes go in a desperate attempt to bring home the message with as much meaning as I possibly can. I’ve told hopelessly unfunny jokes that even during preparation I knew would bring a groan on Sunday morning (but they did keep you listening—if for no other reason then at least to know when to groan again). I’ve told stories on myself and those close to me, risking embarrassment to try to magnify a spiritual truth. I’ve dressed up as Bible characters, drawn pictures on acetate, put rocks in bottles, given away money, passed out vegetables and fruit—anything that had even a remote possibility of decorum I’ve used to help bring the Word to life for us. Why? Paul caught the gist of it in Colossians 4, where he begged his readers to pray for him that he would, first, have opportunity to preach the message of Christ, and, secondly, he said, "Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." (Colossians 4:4) He wanted them to intercede that he would tell the right stories, use the right analogies, use the proper voice inflection and body gestures, that others would not be hindered, but helped, in their attempt to understand what God was saying to them about a relationship with Christ. This morning, let’s consider the question of what methods Jesus used when He walked and taught on the roads of Palestine. What did He do to make his teachings memorable and lasting to His hearers? Well, He worked miracles, He healed people, He rode in boats, climbed hills, walked on water, He illustrated using birds and flowers, and He outwitted His hecklers. But the most common device He employed was the simple STORY. Most of His stories fall under the category of PARABLES. Parables are figurative stories used to make a point in such a creative way that the hearers will remember both the story and the point. Everybody loves a story. Storytellers are popular all over the world, and Jesus was history’s master at the short story—short stories called PARA-BOLE, literally "a throwing together". This doesn’t mean to suggest that Jesus just "threw together" what He would say, but that the mythical story was cast alongside the truth in order to clarify, animate and establish the truth. The stories were sometimes shocking, often contained a subtle twist, but always were interesting. If He wanted to illustrate the value of a soul, He would tell the story of the shepherd away from whose flock of 100 one little lamb had strayed, and the great lengths to which the shepherd would go to retrieve the lost sheep. To illustrate grace He taught how a landowner paid workers who labored in his vineyard who worked 12 hours the same as he paid those who only worked an hour. The Parable And when He wanted to emphasize the importance of how people respond to the gospel, He told a story about a farmer. Matthew 13:1-9: "That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying, ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop –a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.’" That last comment, a kind of proverbial punctuation Jesus added to a few of His parables, is an interesting way of saying that some people will understand the meaning of the parable, and some won’t. Ears are for hearing, and when all is functioning well messages come through. Except when you get a little older and they start to wear out. An old man and his old wife were sitting on the porch. She was watching him rock in his chair and doze off. Finally she raised her voice and said lovingly. "Herb, it’s so fine being here with you." He responded by turning to her and shouting, "Well, I don’t like being here with you either!" In the next few verses, the disciples approach Jesus and ask Him why He taught in parables. He told them there were two reasons: so some would understand the teaching and so others would not understand it! What kind of an answer was that?! Didn’t Jesus want everyone to understand the truths of the Kingdom? No, only those who had ears to hear! Now, that may seem like circular argument to us, but He was setting up an important truth: there are two kinds of people in the world—those who can hear and will (these have ears), and those who can hear and won’t (these have no ears). By the way, did you understand the meaning of the parable? Well, if you didn’t, you get one more chance. Apparently, Jesus’ disciples had some questions about the parable’s teaching, so Jesus does a somewhat rare thing for Him—He interprets the parable for those closes to Him. 13:18… "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path." So now we know why uncle Huey never had much interest in the church! He was hard ground—the gospel could never get any root there! The soil along the path, you know, has been stepped on and packed down tight. It’s almost as hard as a rock and virtually impenetrable. Getting seed to grow in that kind of soil is about as hard as trying to get someone to obey the gospel who has refused to understand it! But, one thing always bothered me—maybe it’s bothered you, too--was it the soil’s fault that it was packed down so tight? I mean, we can’t blame the soil now, can we? Old Huey never had any religious upbringing; his parents never took him to Sunday School as a child. Was it his fault he couldn’t understand? Verse 20 – "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once received it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away." What is Jesus saying here? Can this explain why Dewey stopped coming to church three weeks after the Billy Graham Crusade? He was so excited when he accepted Christ that night! Is that it, then? He had no root? Is that why he lasted such a short time? I remember he got a lot of ribbing from the other guys at the plant. And that was about the time his wife was in the hospital with pneumonia, wasn’t it? It was all just too much for him. I guess he just thought if God loved him, why was all this happening? It doesn’t seem fair. It’s like the deck was stacked against him—a case of rotten timing. ‘Makes you wonder if rocky soil has any control over whether it will be rocky or not. After all, who’s to blame that a deposit of rock ended up in a certain spot? Some glacier? Or God? Verse22 – "The one who received the seed that fell among  the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." You know, the New Testament warns about riches--having a lot of money or a lot of "stuff". It sort of gets its arms around you, and before you know it, what you thought you owned, owns you. That’s what happened with Louie, remember? He accepted Christ through the Christian Businessman’s Committee, but he just kept giving his life for the company. A real workaholic, Louie. He started working Sundays and missing church—I think he actually attended only two cell group meetings. Pretty soon he had no more time for God—just his career. I think he made his million just before the heart attack, didn’t he? So, Jesus’ interpretation of His own parable says that some people receive the gospel and accept it, but they never make Him Lord of their lives, because there’s only room for one throne in their hearts, and the cares of this world, like thorny weeds, are there already and choke out any real devotion to God by making the competitive god look so good. No wonder Matthew 6 records such stern words: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. . .No one can serve two masters . . .You cannot serve God and Money." (Matthew 6:19-21, 24) Have you ever gone out into an Illinois farm field right after it has been cultivated and run your hands through that black, nutrient-rich loam? No wonder we can grow bumper crops of corn and beans year after year! It’s some of the richest soil in the world. It’s so good all you have to do is drop a kernel of seed corn and you’ll grow a six-foot stalk. That’s what seed is supposed to do, isn’t it? Multiply itself exponentially? But it does need good soil to get the job done. Read verse 23: "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." So the "good soil" kind of person is the one who hears and understands the word of God, then apparently goes on to obey it faithfully, because he becomes "productive," not like the "unfruitful" thorny soil. The Point What is important with parables is to determine what is the message of this story? Let’s pull together our summary and see what it says to us. Each kind of soil had seed sown. Every person gets an opportunity to hear the gospel message. At some point in their lives, all people come to the place where they "hear" the truth about Jesus. But three out of four in the parable didn’t "understand" it. Whose fault is it? The sower’s? Maybe he shouldn’t have thrown the seed down on the inferior soils! Can you really blame the sower? He’s got a sack of seed over his shoulder, and the farmer sent him out to sow it. He said, "Cast the seed everywhere on my acreage—I don’t want you to bring a single seed back!" The sower has no time to pick and choose where he will drop the seed. He just does his job as well as he can in the short time he has. Was it the seed’s fault? Was it inferior seed? Not according to the story-teller. The one who wrote and told the parable also said, (Isaiah 55:10-11): "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word, that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." No, the seed is perfectly good. So, if it’s not the fault of the sower, and the seed is fine, then it must be the soil. Sure, that’s it! The soil represents the human heart that either receives or doesn’t receive the word! That’s it—it’s the soil’s fault if the seed doesn’t produce! Not so fast! Can soil really determine whether or not it will be hard-scrabble or rocky or thorny? Soil is what it is! How can the person with a rocky heart be responsible if that’s the heart he was given? It is precisely here where the parable takes a tricky turn. Yes the sower is the preacher, and the seed is the word of God and the soil reflects the nature of human hearts. But, you, the hearer, are given the responsibility to decide what kind of soil you will be. There is a story about an old man who always had witty and wise answers for people who asked him anything. Once, a smartaleck came to him with his hands covering something he was holding. He told the sage that he had a small, newly hatched bird in his hands. He challenged the old man to tell him whether the bird was alive or dead. He, of course, planned to prove the old man wrong, because if he said the bird was dead, he would simply open his hands to expose a perfectly healthy baby bird. But if he said the bird was alive, then he would crush the bird before opening his hands. His elder was wiser than he thought, because he said, "The bird is whatever you choose him to be." And that’s the way it is with the kingdom of God. The choice to accept the message or not rests with you. What kind of soil will you choose? Will you be Huey, Dewey, Louie, or a disciple of Jesus?       [Back to Top]