Planting Seeds

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In the new testament, there are various times that Jesus speaks about bearing fruit either in a parable or directly to the disciples.

Let’s Talk About Planting Seeds

What does it look like to plant sees? How do you plant sees? Well, first you have to cultivate the land so that there is good soil to plant in. Then, you dig a little hole and drop the seed in. Finally you cover the seed with soil and water it. Done, seed planted. Now all that’s left to do is wait for it to sprout and then grow into a plant.

When I was a kid in elementary school, I remember doing science experiments where we would take a bean and place it in a petri dish with some wet paper towel and then grow it. But it took a long time so the whole class would put their beans up on the window sills around the class room and then we had to wait… and wait… and wait. Then finally, they would sprout and there would be a little green leaf coming out of this bean.

After you’ve planted a seed, There is a time of waiting … and even once you begin to see the plant growing out of the soil you still must wait to see that plant mature before it is ready to produce fruit. Then once it has matured, you must wait for the season to be right before that mature plant will actually bear the fruit it was meant to bear.

That’s a lot like the seeds that we plant in the lives of those around us which is why Jesus used seeds as an analogy for the word of God. We often don’t get to see the fruit that comes from the seed we planted because it takes time for that seed to grow into even just a plant. Today we’re going to focus on what Planting seeds in our walk with Christ looks like.

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower. In this parable he describes the way the seeds fell on different types of ground. Some fell along the path and birds ate them. Some seeds fell on rocky ground and they sprouted but the didn’t have much soil so the sun scorched them and they died because they had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorns which choked them. and finally some of the seed fell on good soil and produced grain in abundance.

Jesus goes on to explain this in v 18.

Matthew 13:18–23 ESV

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 what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

So often we hear teaching surrounding this parable and our hearts are the different types of ground. In other words how do we receive the word of God and does it take root in our lives.

But what about the one who sows the seed? That’s us as well isn’t it?

When you sow a seed, a plant grows and then bears fruit… That fruit has seeds in it and they get spread elsewhere to grow more plants.

When we receive the word of God, the seed of life so to speak, we are to bear fruit and then sow more seed.

I would suggest to you, that just as we must check our hearts regularly to make sure that we are still good soil able to receive the word and let it take root… we must pay attention to where and how we sow seed.

I’m sure that the sower in the parable didn’t mean to sow seed on the path right… my that path looks perfect for these seeds to grow on, I’m just going to toss a whole bunch on it and that will be perfect. Of course he didn’t do that but, what if he had paid better attention to where he was sowing that seed? Do you think maybe there may have been less seed that landed on the path and more on good soil?

I’m not saying that we cant just randomly throw seeds around, God’s bigger than that so some seed will take root, but why not be as effective as we can be at sowing seed.

Paying closer attention to where we should sow that seed is the first step. That involves listening to God and His leading... “Who might you be wanting me to talk to Lord?” Where do you want some seed sown?

“I don’t hear God all the time though, how am I supposed to know where He wants me to sow seeds?” Well a child who can’t ride a bike can’t ride a bike either… until they try a few times. Then muscle memory takes over and they don’t even think about how any more, they just ride the bike. Ask any kid who can ride a bike to tell you how to do it, they’ll answer with something along the lines of, “I don’t know, I just do.”

Practice makes perfect. God continually will lead us to do things that are just out of our comfort zone or capabilities so that we will rely on His strength not our own. The same goes for planting seeds, God will send us out into difficult situations to sow seed to those that need the gospel.

Matthew 10:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

If our job is to sow seed in the midst of adversity, and to be wise as serpents about where and how we sow seed, then we should be reading our bibles. Last time I spoke I spoke about how we should all be scholars as Christians, this is part of the process of sowing seed with wisdom. The bible is God’s voice and it is a weapon for us to use, to gain wisdom and understanding from in order to be effective when we go to sow seed.

Cultivation

another part of sowing seed is preparing the soil to receive that seed. A path is a path, It will always be that way. But the rocky ground and the thorny ground or full of weeds doesn’t have to stay that way. In fact, those types of ground are often cultivated so that they can be used as good soil. The rocks and weeds can be removed.

There’s an issue in our North American church culture that I would call Christian Social Bubbles. The idea started with the Pharisees when they refused to be seen around those they considered sinners. When they questioned Jesus on this while he was at a dinner party in Matthew the tax collectors house Jesus said that He did not come for the healthy but for the sick.

We need good, healthy, relationships with strong Christian friends, even Jesus had this. But the moment all or most of your social relationships are with Christians, you should probably think about how you’re supposed to sow seed. If we go back to the literal example of planting seeds, and you’re the farmer and you say to yourself… I think I’ll plant some seeds today. But you go out to the field and your field has already been planted with seed in abundance, do you still plant seed? No that would be silly. I’m not saying that God isn’t going to use you to sow seed into the life of a Christian. He uses me to do that every time I speak.

What I’m saying is that in order to maximize our planting efficiency we should sow seed on ground that doesn’t already have seed in it. Though that ground is often full of rocks and weeds when we first get there. This is what building relationship with those that need the gospel looks like. It’s cultivation. We often use the term, “cultivate that relationship.” Well, cultivate that relationship so that when you plant the seed of the Gospel it will be more likely to take root. When we cultivate relationships that God asked us to step into, sowing seed into that person’s life will be so much more effective.

My question to you today is this… What relationships have you been cultivating? Better yet, which relationships have you been cultivating… and cultivating… and cultivating… and that ground is ready for seed but you just keep cultivating because you’re afraid of what might happen when you start sowing the seed? What if the ground isn’t ready and I’ve just wasted all this time prepping?

I’m going to leave that with you. Write that down in your journals or notebooks. What relationships have I been cultivating, and are they ready for seed?

Okay, let’s say I’m a farmer. For the last couple planting seasons I was planting Caraway but this season I want to plant Fennel in my field, so I go into the store room and grab the Fennel seeds and start sowing them in the field. Now the thing about Fennel and Caraway is that they are relatives and the seeds look almost identical but they not the same plant at all. Fennel seeds have a flavor that is kind of like licorice, where caraway is quite different tasting more like dill.

When I thought that I was planting Fennel, I was really planting Caraway. Something I probably won’t be very happy about when I go back to the store room and see all the Caraway still there.

This leads me to our next focus...

What Kind of Seeds are We Planting?

If we don’t pay attention we can very easily sow seed that we do not want to sow. Sometimes it might just be a small thing, but other times it could be very bad.

In Matthew 18 there’s a parable of a servant who is unforgiving, even though his master has forgiven him.

Matthew 18:23–35 ESV

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

This servant was going to be sold for his debts but he asked for more time. So the master was gracious to him and let him stay. Then that same servant turned around and did the very thing his master had done but he didn’t give grace as his master did. In this parable this servant was sowing the seed of Hypocrisy.

Yup. I said the seed of Hypocrisy.

But Pastor Justin, isn’t the seed we sow supposed to be the gospel? Yes… yes it is. But that doesn’t seem to stop us from sowing bad seed everywhere we go whether we realize it or not which is why it’s so important for us to check what kind of seed we’re sowing.

I chose to use hypocrisy as an example because I think it is one that all of us get caught in often. Especially as Christians who proclaim a gospel of peace and love and yet somehow we can be the most judgmental and hypocritical people out there. Here’s a bit of information for you to chew on for a second… did you know that out of all the jobs I’ve had, one of the worst has been in a church? I won’t go into detail but I’d say that’s a pretty rude awakening for someone wanting to be a pastor someday.

Something else that goes hand in hand with people in church misbehaving, is other people complaining about those people misbehaving. Or… wanting to leave because of the misbehaving.

I’m going to share a story I heard from a pastor in the states.

This lady walks up to the pastor of her church and she says,

“Pastor, I’m sorry but I need to find a different church. I can’t be around so many people that are so hypocritical any more, it’s making it difficult for me to connect with God.”

“Okay,” He says, “that’s fine. But before you go can you do something for me?”

“Sure” she replies.

The pastor then takes a glass and fills it to the brim with water. Then he hands it to her and asks, “would you take this cup of water and walk around the sanctuary and back here?”

So she takes the cup of water and walks around the church, in and out of others that were there and all the way back to the pastor.

When she returned he asked her, “did you notice what was taking place around you when you were walking around the sanctuary?”

“No,” she says. “I was too focused on not spilling the water.”

To this the pastor replies, “Church is not a place for you to focus on the people around you, it is a place to focus on your own self. When you focus on your own water you won’t notice the hypocrisy around you and it won’t negatively affect your ability to connect with God.”

Not only can we spread seed that is not good, but we can get pulled into the trap of focusing on all the others spreading the same bad seed and in doing so end up sowing more bad seed of our own.

Matthew 7:15–23 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

The woman that walked around the church, she was so distracted with the spiritual health or bad fruit of the people around her that she never realized that she was one of those unhealthy people bearing bad fruit.

We want to be people that are spiritually healthy so that we can bear good fruit so that we can sow good seed when God asks us. What Kind of fruit are you bearing? Is it good fruit, or is it bad? When was the last time you looked at the fruit that you bear? Are you one of the thorn bushes or are you a grape vine? A thistle bush or a fig tree?

We don’t want to sow thistle seeds, neither does God want us to do so.

I want to challenge you all to take stalk of you store houses, look at the fruit that you are bearing and decide whether you would plant the seed that comes from it or if it is better to throw it in the fire as Matthew 7:19 mentions.

I know we’re all living our lives and living our lives often becomes the main thing. But is it the main thing? Ask yourself if living your life has become more the main thing than the main thing. Has Jesus and your bag of good seed been placed in the back seat instead of riding shotgun beside you?

It’s so hard to take what is physical and tangible, the thing you can touch, feel and see and put it second to the thing that you can’t see and have to have faith to believe in. But what about when that thing you can’t see means eternity?

I’m so completely baffled at how easily I can take something that determines whether I live past my life on earth or not and place it underneath my earthly life and desires. I watched the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on Thursday night… The thing about C.S. Lewis is that he is a genius writer. The entire movie is filled with foreshadowing and parallels to the spiritual world and Christianity. and and there was a scene that struck me with a deeper meaning. There is a part of the scene where Edmond first meets the White witch where she asks if he would like anything to drink. He asks for a Hot chocolate, so she takes out this little bottle and out drips one drop of a green syrup onto the snow. Then from the drop a chalice of steaming Hot chocolate materializes. From the look on Edmonds face when he drinks this beverage it must have been delicious. Then He’s asked what he’d like to eat and he asks for Turkish delight but before the witch takes out her little bottle of magic liquid again she takes the chalice of hot chocolate and gives it to her dwarf servant to deal with. This is the part that struck me. He takes the cup and tosses it away and it hits a tree and turns to snow. That steaming hot liquid in a beautiful chalice turned to nothing but snow.

In that moment I had a realization about this particular scene that I’ve never had before. The white witch is am impersonation of Satan who is the father of lies and deceit. He feeds us with desires of instant gratification and gets us hooked on the pleasant things knowing full well that in reality the significance of what it is that he has fed us is actually nothing. There’s no substance to it, it’s pleasure in the moment and sickness later.

The white witch fed Edmond nothing but snow and that green sticky syrup disguised to look, feel and taste like a delicious drink. Afterwards when he meets Lucy in the forest he feels sick, so much so that Lucy actually notices and asks if he’s alright.

Where do we come in? We focus on the hot chocolate so much that we forget that it’s not good for us even though it seems like it is. Our lives, the things we pursue, etc…

If God asked you right now why it is that you are working the job you are working, the career you are striving to rise in, living in the town you’re living in or why it is that you are focused so much on growing your money… What would you say to him? Would your answer be, “I felt you were calling me here and that you wanted me to sow into the lives of these people who work here…” or would you be at a loss of what to say because you can make all the excuses you want but you know that you can’t say anything to Jesus because he already knows that you took that job knowing full well Jesus was calling you somewhere else, or that you’re so focused on growing your money because you love the idea of being wealthy.

It’s time to take the bag of good seed out of the store room and start sowing where God is calling us to sow, cultivating relationships that God is calling us to cultivate, and bearing good fruit that only comes from a life with God.

We want to be a church the brings change? We need to sow the seed that sprouts change. That brings fruit that leads to good things, that leads to Christ. Nothing can happen until we take up the mantle that God has placed on our shoulders.

Let’s sow the good seed.

You are a Kingdom people, you are the hands and feet of Christ, go be blessed and bless others today.

Have a good Sunday afternoon.