Once Upon a Time - 1

Once Upon A Time - 1

Introduction

I am a pretty veracious reader. I love a good turn of phrase, or even a rich metaphor that can bring so much meaning and imagery to only a few words. Recently I came across this list of not-so-rich metaphors and similes.

- “He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.”

- “John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds that had also never met.”

- “The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.”

- “He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a landmine or something.”

- “Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.”

We are familiar with the power of metaphors. They help us paint a mental picture and they tell a story. We use these figures of speech to help us grasp something that can be hard to understand.

Today we begin a new series called “Once Upon A Time.” Throughout Luke’s gospel, Jesus taught using various metaphors. Some of Jesus’ most well known stories are parables found in Luke: The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Rich Man & Lazarus. These are not just quaint stories with moral lessons. They are descriptions of life in God’s Kingdom. They tell us who God is, what he is like, and what he expects of us. Occasionally, we even catch a glimpse of how he sees us.

Jared Wilson - The parables are postcards from heaven. “Wish you were here,” they say. Supernaturally, however, they can transport us exactly to the place they depict, the place where God’s kingdom is coming and his will is being done on earth as it is in heaven…Once upon a time, a king came to earth to tell stories, and the stories contained the mystery of eternal life.

TS - today let’s look at the first parable Jesus ever told.

- 4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

This parable centers on a very agrarian image, something very familiar to everyone in his audience. In that day, farmers would go out into their fields and throw seed out in long-arching throws. It could look chaotic, but there was a method there. This was the best way to ensure good coverage of the entire field. They threw seed everywhere because they were hoping for a great harvest, which is the entire point of farming.

Inevitably, though, in throwing out seed this way, some seed would fall into places it wouldn’t do any good. Some would fall on the road. Their fields didn’t have fences as borders, they had well-worn walking paths. Beaten down and rock hard from years of people walking on them. And in that arid climate, they would have been as hard as concrete. No seed is getting in.

Other seed would fall in the rocky soil. This isn’t really referring to soil that had some rocks in it because any good farmer would have removed those rocks himself. A geographical anomaly in Palestine is that much of the ground is a limestone shelf covered over by no more than a foot of dirt. Plants would take root in the shallow soil and would grow for awhile. They looked great at first, but couldn’t get into that limestone. So with no roots, they would wither and die.

Still other seed would fall among weeds and thorns. You could plow up some weeds, make the ground look nice. Some farmers even burned their fields to where it looked weed-free. But if the roots remained, they will definitely grow back and grow more quickly than anything else. You can throw seed in there, and it will grow…but it’s not the only thing growing in there. Plants may get a start but will get choked out eventually.

And of course, there is always the seed that falls on good soil. Soil that has been prepared, cultivated, ready for seed.

Jesus is very clearly emphasizing the difference in the soils. The difference isn’t the farmer. It’s the same farmer scattering the seed. The difference isn’t the seed. It’s the same seed going out. The difference is the condition of the soil. The differentiating factor between an abundant harvest and a dead field is the condition of the soil.

Jesus’ followers hear this story and they immediately perceive that it’s not about farming. Jesus didn’t come to the earth to give advice about crops. They want to know what’s going on. Jesus will give them the truth that some people have no interest in God and, though they may hear, they won’t understand.

TS - Jesus will then go on to confirm what the disciples thought…this story isn’t about farming. It’s about people.

- 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. 12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. 13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

As you will see over the next few weeks in this series, this parable is unique in that Jesus gives a detailed explanation, a point-by-point breakdown. The seed is God’s Word, the truth of the Bible spread out into the world. As Christians, we recognize how this seed has spread. Whether it is while we sing songs of faith, reading the Bible on our own, hearing a good sermon, during our LifeGroup…God’s Word is scattered through it all.

But have you ever wondered by people respond so differently to God’s Word? Some embrace it, others reject it. Some weep for joy, while others cry out in repentance. As someone who preaches every week, it astounds me that two people can hear the same sermon but respond in vastly different, even opposite ways. Which tells me this…it is not about the farmer scattering seed, and it’s not about the seed. There is something else at work here.

Jesus says the secret to those different responses is found in the heart. It is the status of the heart that determines what the seed will do. We don’t make the seed grow. That power and potential is already in the seed. All I can do is make the conditions right for the seed to do its thing.

But while we can’t make grass grow, we can keep it from growing. I could spray industrial Roundup on it. I could pour gas on it. I could neglect it. And it will die. Same is true spiritually…we can cultivate the soil of our hearts, but we cannot create the harvest. And sadly as Jesus says here, we can stop his work in our lives. The sad reality is that we can open up our hearts to his work, or we can close them off.

TS - Jesus identifies how our hearts can get messed up, how they can impact the impact of the Word. Four types of hearts:

HARD HEART

- 12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.

This heart has been trampled down and is so hard the seed has no chance to penetrate. The reason the Devil can steal it away is because it’s just sitting there. It bounced off the hard surface and we didn’t do anything with it.

The challenge for us here is that no one sees themselves as hard-hearted. I mean, we are sitting in church listening to a sermon. Of course this isn’t us! But listen…the seed falls on hard ground. Those with hard hearts hear the Word too. But they don’t let it change them.

Jesus presents this as a warning…hard-heartedness is always a danger. The NT will pick up this warning and send out a plea against this:

- 7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,“Today when you hear his voice, 8 don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. 9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. 10 So I was angry with them, and I said,‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ 11 So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

2. SHALLOW HEART

- 13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.

Remember, this is the shelf of limestone with a thin skin of soil. This allowed the crops to grow at first, but the lack of root caused them to die when conditions got rough. With no deep water reserves, they dried out or burned out.

Jesus says there are hearts that do this. They receive the Gospel and respond to God’s Word. But they don’t allow it penetrate very deeply. Then during a time of temptation or trial (same word), their faith can’t hold up.

These are those who have the appearance of faith, but Jesus is really on the periphery of their lives. They don’t have the deep roots of faith they need to stand firm. Faith sounds like a good idea to them, until their faith requires something hard. Faith sounds good until you discover faith requires you to share your faith, to give generously, to submit to those in authority. Faith isn’t just about receiving the Word, it is about cultivating the heart and letting that Word grow deep roots.

3. CROWDED HEART

- 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

The thorns and weeds choke out the growth of the seed. Even the appearance of a clean field doesn’t guarantee anything. There are other things jockeying for position in our hearts. This heart is one that lets God speak, but he is just one of many voices.

The cares, riches, and pleasures of this life…those are loud voices! You may have God’s Word in your heart, but if you have other voices, you aren’t hearing very well. Those voices can easily crowd out his. This is why the Bible says not to worry, to kill greed…these voices are too loud. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with ALL your heart…clear the field. Don’t just trim those down or spray them a bit…pull them out by the root.

4. GOOD HEART

- 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

This is the heart where the Word takes root. The heart that lets the seed do what the seed does. It cultivates the soil to ensure the best possible environment for the seed. And it brings forth a harvest in their life. These are people who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in their lives…yet another agrarian image…they grow.

TS - obviously, this is the type of heart we want to have. No one wants a hard heart, a shallow faith, or a distracted life. How can we cultivate this kind of heart? Two questions to ask:

AM I WILLING TO HEAR?

Notice what Jesus says immediately following this parable.

- 16 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

Jesus definitely mixes the metaphor here…first it’s seed, now it’s light. But his point is clear…if you have this great light of God’s Word, don’t hide it. Don’t extinguish it. Let it shine everywhere in the house. Let it light up everything in your life. Let it expose. Let it cleanse.

Look at verse 18… - “Pay attention to how you hear…” Not ‘what’ you hear, but ‘how.’ Are you listening to what God has to say? Are you willing to hear?

We looked earlier at this pleading in to not harden our hearts before God. That same idea is carried throughout and lands on the application of how to ensure you don’t harden your heart against God.

- 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Let God’s Word in and let it do its work. Am I willing to hear?

2. AM I READY TO ACT?

It is not enough just to hear what God has to say. All the soils heard the Word. Only the good heart did anything with it. Look at what happens immediately next in Luke:

- 19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” 21 Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”

Obey the word. Hear AND obey. That’s the difference for the good heart. While all the hearts hear the word, the good heart obeys it.

- God says to forgive. Instead of saying, “But you don’t know what they did to me,” the good heart says, “God I will forgive because you’ve forgiven me.”

-God says to be generous. Instead of saying, “But I can’t afford that or I want to go on that vacation next year,” the good heart says, “God I’ll give and trust you to meet all my needs.”

-God says to submit to those in authority over you. Instead of saying, “But what if they make a decision I don’t like,” the good heart says, “God I will submit to you and to those you’ve placed in authority because that honors Jesus.”

-God says to love all people. Instead of saying, “But I don’t like that kind of person or they make me uncomfortable,” the good heart says, “God your love has changed me and I can now show the love of Jesus to those around me.”

You want to be the good soil. We all do. Am I willing to hear? Am I ready to act? God can, and wants to, produce an incredible harvest in and through our lives. His Word has the power to get that accomplished. It all depends on the condition of our hearts.

Notice one more thing…who did Jesus say was his family? Not those who hear, but those who hear and obey. Those who hear his word and respond.

God says you are a sinner and you need Jesus to forgive you. Instead of saying, “No, I’m good. I’ve got life figured out,” the good heart says, “God I will…Believe/Repent/Confess/Baptize.”

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