Parable of the Sower

Introduction

Need to Gather Together

Need God’s Provision in our Life - His Word, Preached, Taught, Evangelized

Kingdom of God.

Jesus calls us to realize that we live for Kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of Men

John 18:36 ESV

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

First Kingdom Principle

If You are a Member of Kingdom of God, then Your Life is being Changed by the power of God

Biblically,

“Created in Christ Jesus for Good Works” Eph 2:10

“You will recognize them by their fruits” Matt 7:16

“those who are elect… for obedience to Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 1:2

Theologically,

Justification implies Sanctification

Practically,

Fruit is the test of salvation

Logically,

If Saved, then changing

Whimsically,

Salvation is not by works, but salvation always works

Read Matthew 13:1-9

Parable -

An everyday story that is used to teach a supernatural reality to those who are willing to hear

Approximately one-third of Jesus’ teaching is in parables.

The Greek word parabolē occurs fifty times in the NT

40 parables woven into the gospel record.

Matthew 13:11 - “Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven”

Truth revealed by God that had not been revealed in the Old Testament

Secret uncovered

Parables are Truth Hidden in Plain Sight

The Parable of the Soils

Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:3-8; Luke 8:4-8

Launch of the Kingdom of God in a person’s life.

Through the Planting of the Seed - Preaching the Word of God

The Seed is God’s Word

The Soils represent the different types of hearts

The Results represent the response of the heart to God’s Word

Kingdom Principle: If You are a Member of Kingdom of God, then Your Life is being Changed by the power of God

The Word of God produces fruit in a believer’s life.

If Reborn > Produce Fruit

If No Fruit > Not Reborn

False Idea: a person can be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ and not be changed.

Absolutely foreign to the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the overwhelming majority of Historical Theology.

Generally...

This parable explains how the unredeemed heart can prevent rebirth

This parable explains why the sower should be intentional and deliberate about where he plants

This parable explains how the heart can deceive believers and temporarily limit fruit in a believers life

Jesus’ Explanation of the Parable - Matthew 13:18-23

Situation - Complication - Resolution

Situation - A farmer plants seed

Complication - Some seed seems to produce a crop, but most does not

Resolution - Truth about God’s Kingdom

Situation -

Common Agricultural Field; The Cultivation of Crops

Seed - God’s Word (vs. 18)

Sower - Ambassador (vs. 19)

Soil - Heart of the Hearer (vs. 19-23)

Seed

God’s Word - word of the Kingdom (vs. 19)

God’s Inspired Word;

God’s truth expressed through the vehicle of a human being… writing, speech, private, public

Scripture prioritizes the ministry of preaching, teaching, evangelism…

Sower

Casting seed… falling in many places

Wise Farmer

knows his fields and is deliberate about where he casts it; nevertheless, seed falls in a variety of places

Jesus is revealing His intentional, deliberate, strategic, calculated, purposeful spreading of the seed.

When he realizes that the religious leaders of the day would not respond, he shift his sowing.

Ambassador of the Kingdom

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God

Soil

Heart of the Hearer

PATH -

Field - pathways through larger fields

Place to walk so without killing crops

hardened by feet, baked by sun, hard as concrete

Seed lies on the hardened path until it is picked up by birds

No Fruit

ROCK

Not rocky soil, but on the rock - Rock Bed

Below the surface soil... is not reached during the plowing.

Seed embeds, but the root system cannot reach any kind of depth; where the life producing moisture is found.

The plant grows quick = all the energy is spent above surface

But the wise farmer knows what is coming - death.

No Fruit

THORNS

word for a thorn bush that is harmful to plants.

typically removed, but root left

grow stronger beneath the surface - Deceptive

Looks good on the surface, but thorn outgrows plant

Uses any life and water and nutrients, blocks the sunlight from the plant, and kills the seed.

Chokes it out.

No Fruit

GOOD SOIL

Desired Soil - ready for the seed.

Produces a great crop.

Wise Farmer recognizes it; Wise Farmer works hard to improve it

No Fruit

Complication

The Seed and the Sower are the same, but the response is very different.

#1 Path - Hard Heart - No Fruit (verse 19)

Hear

Quickly reject

soil is not broken up or plowed

No conviction sin, no desire righteousness, no fear judgment

John 16:7-11 is important here

John 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

Soil is not ready.

Truth 1: The life of the sower can be used to open people’s hearts to longing for truth (Matthew 5:16

Truth 2: Avoid the tendency to make this judgment about people... “they don't want to hear the gospel any more”... response, ridicule, lifestyle, clothing, language... the people Jesus primarily encounters with this kind of heart would have been the most respected!

Kingdom Mentality in Matthew 5-7.

Matthew 7:15… beware of false prophets… sheeps clothing, but inwardly are wolves.

#2 Rock - Shallow Heart - No Fruit (vs 20-21)

Hear

Receive

Joy... believe for a while... troubling statement... Joy alone is not the indicator of True Faith

Hear - offer of the wrong Kingdom

superficial, short-lived response

Lacks depth... time of testing reveals their real desire... Reveals a selfish expectation and assumption based upon the Gospel

Danger of the False Gospel

Prosperity…

You are blessed, Child of the King… But what about when blessing includes persecution, rejection,

Emotional / Sentimental Gospel -

God loves you, He calls you His work of Art, Beautiful, Special, if you were the only person in all of creation He would die for you… Who is defining love here. Does your definition of love include tribulation… suffering, loss, cost, sacrifice, putting to death what this world calls most precious.

Jesus described the Kingdom Mentality in Matthew 5-7.

Matthew 5:43-44… pray for those who persecute you.

#3 Thorn - Divided Heart - No Fruit (verse 22)

Hear

Do not fully embrace

Hear … eyes on the wrong Kingdom

Divided between spiritual and wordly

Cares of the World - clothing, houses, stock market, retirement, beauty, strength, etc. These are not necessarily wrong, it is wrong when they become our primary care. Mark 4:19 adds an interesting phrase, “cares of the world, deciefulness of riches, and the desires for other things.”

Deceitfulness of riches - Riches will satisfy, deliver me, fulfill me, bring me joy.

Jesus described the Kingdom Mentality in Matthew 5-7. Matt 6:24… you cannot serve God and money

#4 Good - Transformed Heart - Abundant Fruit (vs 23)

Hear the word, Understand the Word, God uses the Word to produce fruit.

What did it produce... Fruit that endured… abundant fruit!

Fruit

Inner Fruit - Galatians 5:22-23  - Attitude Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Outer Fruit – 1 John 3:9 Action Fruit

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Teaching of Scripture

“bearing fruit in every good work” Col 1:10

the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Gal 5:22-23

“reap some harvest among you” Rom 1:13

“sacrifice of praise, the fruit of [believer’s] lips” Heb 13:15

Resolution

The problem is not in the sower, the seed, or the process, but in the condition of the soil

· Hungry Heart - Consumes

While the path seed was immediately wasted, the hungry heart consumes whatever seed it is offered.

· Kingdom Satisfied Heart - Convinced

The Good Soil knows that the word of God brings is all it needs…

completely convinced that Jesus and His Word are enough, no matter what or who may come.

· Kingdom Seeking Heart - Confident

The Good Soil knows that what the word of brings is not only enough, but it is the one’s only treasure.

This person stands confident that all good things come from the father of lights.

For the Ambassadors of the Kingdom

Kingdom rebirth depends upon GODs miraculous work in the heart of the hearers

Don’t lose hope… but do keep sharing

Don’t change the message… but do be honest about Kingdom Life

Don’t shrink back on the Word of God… but do be learning, memorizing, sharing, preparing

For the Hearers 

Kingdom rebirth only occurs when the heart is ready to hear and see

Hear the Gospel

Not a self improvement plan, its not business decision, its not a means of making life better. Those are all lies, used by the enemy to keep the Word from penetrating your heart.

Its a rebirth plan…

Understand the Reality

Everything in this world is shifted, deceiving, counterfeiting.

In this world, it seems that persecution and tribulation indicate that something is amiss. But in reality, it because the work of God is opposed

In this world, it seems that the most important things of life are those that you can spend, take pleasure in, be praised for. But in reality, the things of this world are used as idols and distractions by the Kingdom of Man to pull us away from God and His Word.