Four Soils

Intro: today a parable - Jesus taught in parables so his people could understand, but he could also hide the truth from those not yet quickened. Same dynamic still in play - so let’s pray we’ve got eyes to see and ears to hear

Luke 8:4-15 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Intro: this is everytime the Gospel is preached.

four soils - even here today. Pray and ask to know. and respond rightly.

HARD PACKED SOIL

This is the thoughtless, unconcerned person in the room. “What’s for lunch?” “Man I got stuff to do...”

you’re in the audience, but not the church

you’re in the church service, but you’re not in the church

somebody probably drug you here, and the gospel is less interesting than your phone.

but you’ll justify it - “boring, i don’t get it, i’ve got ADD, i’m distracted by the surgery level lighting”

but you’re not making effort. The seed just doesn’t go in, it can’t.

ill: sunday nap time.

APP: Do you give time for the word? Make it a priority? Is it worth your attention? And more than that - do you prepare for it?

ROCKY SOIL

Here’s the thing - on the surface, this looks like good dirt. But a trained and wise farmer knows - this isn’t his field. THE FARMER knows.

plant may rise, look great, Wow look at all that potential.

but in the heat of summer… the heat of trial… that seed just doesn’t stand a chance.

This is the flash in the pan. “Maybe a new convert!” Look at the growth! Excitement!

but then trial comes, and they quickly fall away.

Trial for the true Christian grows them, because they repent. The Summer Heat comes either way.

Maybe they’ve revcieved it mentally, accepted it as factual to a point, but never really repented.

Maybe they’ve received it emotionally - thats what it says here “received it with joy” - but the moment the trial comes.

EXMPLE: John 6 - Jesus says “eat my flesh and drink my blood” and many folks leave as a result. They couldn’t handle the finer points of Jesus’ doctrines.

they were fine until Jesus got specific. Started really expounding the Gospel to them.

And many left.

This is why churches that want to maintain an audience don’t talk about the details of the Christian faith, or it’s applications and implications.

they don’t want the stony ground folks to leave, they make up so much of who is in the room.

But Jesus doesn’t mind, in fact he goes up to his disciples and ask them if they want out as well.

This is why we try to be faithful to the call to “teach all that Jesus has commanded us” the great commission.

Even the offensive parts.

Another example: Luke 14:25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,

so… lots of folks start following - and Jesus decides to thin the herd real quick with strong language and a culturally offensive statment.

I’m honestly not exactly sure what to say about this, preachers still struggle when they get to this passage, but I at least want to point that out.

And when JESUS confronted his disciples, asking if they would leave as well, what was their response. Do you remember?

“They don’t say, well I’m not offended! or bothered or whatever”

“Where else would we go? You alone have the words of life.”

ah… now that’s not stony soil.

THORNY SOIL

the soil is already full of weeds, thistles, thorns. no nurtients left, and the seed can’t grow.

this is the folks who add the Gospel as another item on the list. THE KINGDOM is on the shelf with his other kingdoms. JESUS is on the shelf with his other gods.

in other words, it’s not his primary affection, it’s just another item on the list.

maybe he sees Jesus as a means to an end. I go to church for the networking. So I can get connected to the folks that are going to advance my cause the best.

AND JESUS MENTIONS WHAT SOME OF THESE THORNS ARE

MONEY

Money is time consuming. And the more money you’ve got… more management, more responsibilities, mo problems.

IT’S ADDICTIVE

We know older folks - who want more. The closer they get to death you wait for that moment of introspection and priority shift to hit. It doesn’t? I know of folks who slave long hours in their old age every day to stockpile a little more.

I know a millionaire in his last years of life that keeps slaving away every day because he wants to have a billion before he’s dead.

HOw many forsake family? health? responsibilities? neighbors? church members? to tally up a few more dollars.

IT PROVIDES FALSE SECURITY

the illusion of safety.

II Kings 6:25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver and the fourth part of a kab[a] of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.

It doesn’t matter how much you have stored up. In the right circumstances, it is quickly worthless.

“I know preacher that’s why I invest in....” or thats why i diversify… or whatever....

You’re missing the point. It doens’t matter where your wealth is… it is not untouchable, and neither are you.

NEXT THORN - PLEASURE

Money and pleasure are related

Jesus prob meant the pleasures accompanied by money

but pleasure, like any good gift, can be addictive too… it can give you a fake meaning… a fake purpose… as if the “good life” is the whole point of what you’re doing.

Eccl 2:1-11 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.[a] 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine……. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Vanity. Pleasure for pleasures sake… vanity.

and the saddest part is that many who learn this lesson learn it too late. After years, decades of waste.

Don’t lose your youth, your opportunities to invest in the kingdom, in eternity, to the wiles of pleasure.

Have you found yourself choked out by the endless pursuit of pleasure? How to fix it? A diet.

THORNY SOIL - ROCKY SOIL - HARD PACKED

And lastly… there is the good soil...