The Seed of the Gospel and the Soil of Men's Hearts.

Opening:

Good-morning Connection Church. I am so thankful that you have come to worship God with us this Lord’s Day. I am so glad that we can worship together. We worship together on the Lord’s Day through fellowship, singing praise, the learning of truths, the reading and preaching of God’s Word and through our giving. These are acts of worship to our God and King. We worship Him because of what He has done.

Introduction of the Text:

With this in mind I would ask you to open your Bible’s with me to Matthew 13:1-23. We are now transitioning to the time of the service where we will worship God through the reading and preaching of God’s Word. If you do not have a Bible, there are Bible’s on the table by the door. If you do not own a Bible, keep that as our gift to you.

Remember that the gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience by the Apostle Matthew. He wrote this account to show that Jesus was the Messiah. Matthew has shown us that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophesy regarding the promised Messiah. He has shown Jesus’ authority being displayed through His many miracles.

Matthew has just finished a section where he has shown Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the teachers of that day and they hated Jesus because He has called out their sinfulness and their evil practice of adding in their own thoughts into the Sacred Word of God.

Now Matthew is moving into a new section. He is now moving into a section containing the parables of Jesus. “What is a parable?” you may ask. We are going to find out today.

Reading of the Text:

Stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15  For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

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.”

Let he who has ears to hear, hear The Word of God.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We ask that You would be glorified today. May this service be an offering of praise to You. You alone are worthy. You alone are to be glorified. So today, we glorify You. May the preaching of Your Word be an offering of praise. May it be honoring to You.

Lord, I also ask for the soil in this place. I do not know what ground is present for the scattering of seed, but You do. So Lord I ask that You would give growth to the Word that is spread today. For those here who are not good soil, break them. Till up their hearts, Lord. Help the lost to be saved. Help the saved to grow. Only Your Spirit can do this.

Lord I ask that You would protect my mouth. Keep me from speaking any lies. Keep me from slandering Your name. Lord, keep me from being discouraged by the slow growth of the seed of Your word. Encourage my heart.

I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Introduction:

As we open this passage, we see that it is still the same day. Jesus has left the house He is staying at and goes to the sea of Galilee. Jesus, while sitting on the beach is approached by the crowd. People begin to gather around Jesus and want to be taught by Him. He then gets into a boat and sits down to teach. Sitting was the common posture of teachers. Teachers would sit and the crowds would stand. So here is the question; why am I standing and you are all sitting down. Seems unfair. Perhaps we should emulate Jesus, so that I could take a load off? I’m only kidding.

But as Jesus takes His seat, He tells a Parable.

Jesus Tells a Parable.

Explanation:

Jesus heeds the crowds longing for Him to teach them. In teaching them however, Jesus tells them a parable. A parable was a story, told to highlight and conceal the truth. This may be confusing, but we will see how those two things work together today.

Parables are stories that make a point. They are not just stories for the sake of telling a story. They are in essence a proverb. They show the truth from the content that they communicate. They also conceal the truth from some.

In this first parable that Jesus tells, He uses the example of four soils.

Four Soils.

Explanation:

This is the central example of this parable. He shares the familiar image of a farmer scattering seed. Jesus commonly used images of the people. Familiar pictures. Everyone in this time would have had a clear understanding of how a farmer would sow his seed.

In those days, the farmer would walk along their land while having a bag of seeds strapped to him. He would reach in his bag, grab a handful of seed and scatter it. The farmer would walk his fields and continue this process. Because of the nature of this planting method, seed would fall in various places. Jesus identifies four places or types of soil the seed would land. Honestly, Jesus gives a very complete list of the places the seed would land.

In this sermon we will look at the four soils, then examine Jesus’ teaching to the disciples, then come back to Jesus’ explanation of the four soils. So let’s look at the four types of soil that the seed will land on.

Transition:

The first place Jesus says the seed will land on is the path.

1. The Path.

Explanation:

As the farmer begins to walk his property and scatter the seed, it is plain that some of the seed will land upon the path or the road. because the path is well worn and hard, the seed cannot penetrate the soil to begin to grow. Therefore, the seed will sit on the surface and is only sufficient for bird food.

Transition:

The next ground the seed falls is the Rocky Ground.

2. The Rocky Ground.

Explanation:

As any farmer will tell you, there are rocks and rocky ground in every field. One of the backbreaking jobs a farmer or gardener has is to clear the ground of rocks. However, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to get all of the rocks. There will always be rocks in the ground.

Illustration:

This was one of the great challenges my grandfather, and by proxy my family, faced. His property is home to a gravel quarry. That should tell you how many rocks their are in that ground. They have been digging gravel there for longer than I have been alive and still have not run out of rocky ground.

But my grandfather still farmed that land. There were fields that grew crops. I think we understand the parable of the rocky ground better than most. If you want a clear picture, come dig a fence post hole on the family land. You’ll understand after that.

Explanation Continued:

But the nature of the rocky ground is that there is a small layer of soil over the rocks. The crop will spring up but has no root. So come August, when the heat hits, it scorches and dies.

Transition:

The third soil the seed falls is among the thorns.

3. Among Thorns.

Explanation:

The third and final of the places that are unhelpful for the seed to land is among the thorns. This is the equivalent of planting among the weeds. The thorns choke out the good crop. As you water the seeds, they grow but are starved and choked out by the terrible plants near them. But this happens when you scatter seed.

Transition:

Finally we come to the only positive place mentioned. Some seed lands on the good soil.

4. The Good Soil.

Explanation:

The hope of every farmer is that the major portion of the seed will be cast into good soil. In good soil the crop takes root, grows and produces. Jesus says that it produces a hundred fold, sixty, or thirty fold. It is a good crop that produces a sixty fold yield. This means that every seed will produce sixty more seeds on the grain head. This is a great yield. One hundred fold is unheard of outside of an act of God.

Transition:

This is what Jesus tells the crowd. He does not explain. He does not elaborate. The crowd is left confused and wondering why this Rabbi would tell them about agriculture. But the disciples question Jesus, and He answers them.

The Disciples Question Jesus, and He Answers.

Explanation:

Jesus finished the parable and that was it. The air held the static electricity of confusion. The lingering question that the fog held was “what?” clearly the disciples felt this. They approach Jesus and ask the obvious question. “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

Jesus does not leave the disciples in the same state of confusion that He does the crowds. Jesus answers their question. He begins to teach these men who He is so close to. He tells them of the great honor that they have. To them it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom. But to the crowds, that gift has been withheld. But what does this mean? It means exactly what it sounds like. God has elected to illuminate the truth to these people with Jesus, but He has hidden the truth to the crowds.

Then Jesus states what is so confusing to us. It doesn’t fair. It doesn’t seem equitable. Jesus says “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” This doesn’t seem fair. Why would God take anything away from the ones who already has so little? Our sense of justice seems to flair up within us and we wonder, “hold on, that’s not right. God is supposed to be fair. He is supposed to be just, but that is unjust.”

Jesus moves on and says that this is to fulfil prophesy. But what prophesy is this to fulfil? It is a prophesy from Isaiah that is about how God has elected that some should hear but never understand. They should see but never be allowed to truly see. God holds them away from repentance. He knows that if He allowed them to see and hear, they would repent and He would heal them. So what does God do? He won’t let them see. He won’t let them hear.

The question that is again asked in our minds and hearts is “What?!” “No! It can’t mean that. Let me search for another meaning. Maybe I can try to read into this text a different meaning.” Congratulations. You just found the definition of what the Pharisees did.

Illustration:

Stop right there. Don’t take another step down the path your mind is currently on. Perhaps you are here and you don’t like the idea that God is holding repentance from some. You don’t like that passage about God taking away what little some have. You wish to find a different meaning than what the Word of God is saying? That is what the pharisees did. They thought there must be more. So they added in what they felt should be there.

So what would you add to this passage? Should it instead say “and the Lord will plead at the eyes and the ears of everyone who hears the Word of God and beg them to accept Him?” Perhaps that is what it should say? By doing so you subject God to man. Congratulations, you have made an idol of man. You are no longer worshipping God.

Maybe it shouldn’t go that far. Maybe instead it should say that God will give good to all. It shouldn’t say that God will take away from those who have so little. Yeah, it should say “The Lord will give to all. He will take away from no one.” There you go. You fixed it. Congratulations, you just defined universalism. God won’t punish anyone. All will be given good. That is a very popular religion, but it is not Christianity. You better close your Bible. You don’t believe it.

“Now hold on pastor,” you say “maybe it should just be a little lessened.” What should it then say? Should God take from those who have and give to the ones who have not? There it is. That’s the change we should make right? That is a good social justice gospel. The world will love that one. And we can even take Biblical principles and twist them to fit. Yeah, God has given so much to those who have nothing. Truly no one has anything. So there we go. Now let’s just erase this passage and focus more on the passages about the love of God right? Let’s not talk about the things God takes away. Let’s avoid this sticky subject of God not letting some people repent.

One problem. You have taken the Sacred Word of God and made it subject to your opinions. So what else should we change? I mean, you have placed yourself in the place of God. You think yourself to be in the place of God by altering the Sacred Scriptures. If you are so perfectly wise as to correct God, what else should we change?

Argumentation:

HOW DARE YOU? How dare any of us try to change what the Word of God says. Who do you think you are to question the Word of God? Maybe you’re here thinking that you aren’t trying to change the Word of God. But let’s get really honest, shall we? Our tenancy is to look at God’s Word and determine weather we will accept or reject what is saying based off of how much we like what it is presenting.

Make no mistake, this makes you guilty of blasphemy and self idolatry. Don’t you dare look at God’s Holy Word and place yourself in the place of judge over it. That seat is not yours. It is reserved for God alone. Get down out of that chair and weep in repentance. The only way we are to approach the Word of God is in fear and trembling. We are to come to it to hear what God has spoken. Then we change our lives based off of what is said to us from God within these blessed pages.

So get out of God’s throne before He strikes you down and let us look at what Jesus is saying with humbleness and terror.

Jesus says that God opens some eyes and closes others. This is what Scripture teaches. And this is just and right. God is God. Who are you oh man to answer back to God? Besides this, mankind loves being blind. We picture this as if God is holding back people who are clambering at the gates to get in. No, they love living in their sins. It is only through the work of God that any even want to turn to Him. God is not throwing away people who are begging to be saved from their sins.

Matthew even highlights this. He shows in Jesus’ words that God does not give these people the ability to know the secrets of the kingdom but they in turn do not want to know. They have their eyes shut and their ears plugged. God has chosen to give them what they want. But to those He has called, He has given new desires.

He passes over the people who are described as having their eyes and ears shut, and leaves them in their sin and blindness. So what should our response be? We should look into loving embrace of our savior and glorify Him because there is nothing about us that sets us apart from them. The fact that we turned away from our sins and turned to Him is because He has awakened our hearts. Truly “...blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” If you are here and you are saved, your eyes are blessed. Your ears are blessed. Worship God that He has blessed you in this way. You did nothing to deserve it or earn it. You aren’t better than any of the lost. You are set apart only because of God. He gets all the glory. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you. Read the Bible. It is the consistent story through all of Scripture. Read Ephesians. Read Romans. Read Galatians. Read John. Read any book of the Bible. This is what you will see.

Transition:

Jesus moves on in His teaching, and so must we. He then explains the parable.

Jesus Explains the Parable.

Explanation:

So let’s go back to the four kinds of soil and let’s see what Jesus says about them. First we see that Jesus and His ministers are those that spread the seed. The seed is the Word of God. The soil represents the souls of men.

Transition:

First let’s see what Jesus says about the seed that lands on the path.

1. The Path.

Argumentation:

Jesus says that the seed that lands on the path represents those who hear the Word but do not understand it. Then the devil comes along and steals it away and it results in no crop.

This is consistent. The seed does not bury itself in the soul of the person who heard it. It sits on the surface and they leave with no understanding or care for what they have heard. The enemy comes and plucks this away from the surface of their mind.

These are not Christians. They reject the gospel.

Transition:

Next what does the rocky ground mean?

2. The Rocky Ground.

Argumentation:

The rocky ground has a small amount of soil on top. The seed of the gospel lands there and we see immediate response. It springs up. We see a conversion experience where there is an immediate response. They are joyous about what they have heard. They claim to love Jesus. There is that initial passion.

But then life happens. Then the problems come that Jesus promised that we would face. All of a sudden that love for Jesus fades. He is not their hope. He is their promise of wealth. He is their promise of health. He is not their Lord. They view Him as only being something that benefits them. He is not their Lord. That crop shrivels and dies.

These are not Christians.

Transition:

Next let’s see what the seed among thorns means.

3. Among Thorns.

Argumentation:

The seed among thorns is similar to the rocky ground. There is an immediate response. There is something that grows there. They have a passionate story about how the gospel has changed them. But then the cares of this world come along. They leave the summer camp where they heard the gospel. Then the real world comes in and this whole Jesus thing doesn’t matter as much.

Suddenly Jesus demands something of them. They have to stop living the way they are living. They have to give something up for Him. He no longer means anything to them. They may claim to be Christians, but they are just a bunch of weeds and thorns.

These are not Christians.

Transition:

Finally let’s see what the good soil means.

4. The Good Soil.

Argumentation:

The Good Soil is the heart of the true Christian. The seed falls on the heart that is prepared for the gospel. The good news takes root, grows, and yields a crop. This is the person who hears the gospel and responds. The birds come but they can’t snatch away the gospel because it has taken heart. The trials and pains of life comes but that seed still grows. The concerns of life come and it endures. It may be bruised, beaten, or abused but it will not renounce it’s savior. This is the heart that clings to Christ. This is the heart of the one who will give up everything to follow Christ.

This is the heart of the only true Christian. This is the difference between belief and faith.

Application:

So what should be done with this text? One of the things I do while preaching is to try to find application to the text we are in. I try to find some way for you to do more than just hear. What can you do with this text? Well, in some ways, it is not my job to find you application. You bear the responsibility to go from here and do something with the Word of God. But out of love for you, I try to give you clear direction. I try to be a good shepherd and point you on the path where the Bible should take you. Well, this week I have two applications. But they are not both for you. One is for you in the congregation. One is for me as your pastor.

Perhaps that is weird to think of. I am giving myself application. Yes the Word of God applies to me as well. I must apply what Scripture is teaching. Most weeks, I do not share what application I draw from the text for myself. But this week I will share it with you. I hope you too can learn something from what I must learn from this text.

But first the application for you. I ask you this question: “What soil are you?”

What Soil are You?

Ask yourself this. What soil are you? Are you the good soil? Why? What would happen if persecution came? If our government started throwing us in jail, would you still follow?

What would happen if I was thrown in jail? It happened to Pastor James Coats up in Canada just a few weeks ago. His church stood up for their faith and they arrested him and wouldn’t let him out unless he promised to never preach the gospel again. He was finally just released on bail.

But what if that happened to me? Would you still meet to worship God? I would go to jail in a heartbeat if I was told stop preaching Jesus or go to jail. Would you take care of my wife? Would you guys protect her? Are you here just because its the thing to do? Or are you willing to follow Christ because He is your everything? What if your family rejected you? Would you still follow Jesus?

What about the cares of this world? What do you value more, Jesus or the opinions of the world? Are you willing to sacrifice other things for Christ? What will you water? Will the thorns get the water or will your relationship with Jesus?

What soil are you? Don’t just assume you are the good soil. Be real, be honest. If you are any other soil than the good soil, repent! Turn to Christ. Commit to following Him. Cast aside all other cares and follow Him. This is your only option. Follow Christ. Repent and trust in Jesus, please. This is my biggest desire for you.

Transition:

But what of the application I spoke of for me? I need to remember, I don’t determine what soil you are.

Pastor Jonathan Does not Determine what Soil You Are.

Explanation:

I was warned that pastoring was lonely and discouraging. But no one could have warned me just how discouraging it can be. It is true. I spend hours in my office in the attic of our house, pouring over God’s Word, begging Him to show me how to present it to you. Begging Him to work through me to help you grow. I want to see this church grow. I want to see the lost saved. I want to see each one of you become passionate about your faith.

And the thing that hurts is that I can’t make you grow. I sit in my office with my hands on my keyboard. I sit there, hands aching, heart in my throat just wishing I could make you guys see the truth of the Word of God. I sit there and wonder, “what could I say that could get them to see? What could I write to help them? How can I nurture them? I just want them to grow and I have no idea what to do.” It builds and builds until I feel like I could scream.

Thoughts rattle in my head. “I am young. I have no seminary education. I’ve never planted a church before. I am weak. I am tired. I am broken. I have fought anxiety and depression my entire life. Why would these people ever listen to me? There is nothing I could say that would affect these people at all.” These are the thoughts that echo in my head all week. I believe God called us here to do this work, but some days, that doesn’t feel like enough. It makes me sick and often times I will cry.

So what do I do when that is what is screaming inside my head? I remind myself that I cannot determine what soil you are. I am not responsible for your response to the gospel. My application from this passage is that I am not responsible for your response. My job is to spread the seed of the Word of God. I stand in this pulpit and I scatter the seed. I know that some of that seed is right now falling on the path. Some of it is falling on the rocky ground. Some is even falling amongst the thorns. That breaks my heart because I love you. I look out and I see my sheep. I love you. I do all I can to guide and protect you. You are my sheep. I am the under-shepherd for the Good Shepherd.

But I know that some seed is falling among the wrong ground. But miracle of miracles, some of the seed I am scattering is falling on good soil. It will grow. It will produce a crop. That delights my heart! Some of you will grow in faith. Some of you are real Christians. Some of you really are my sheep, given to me by the Good Shepherd. I don’t know what soil any of you really are, but I believe and trust that some of you are good soil. This brings incredible joy to my heart. I am not working here in vain.

This teaches me that faithfulness is enough. I can be bold and faithful to my King and trust that He will cause growth. I sit in my office and want to shout for joy at knowing that I am not here in vain. I may feel like I am the last person to be able to speak to you. I may feel like there is no way any of you could ever respect me as your pastor. But I am not here for your approval or your respect. I am here for my King. He put me here and I will be faithful to Him.

I can’t make you grow. I can be faithful to Him. The weight of your souls is not in my hands. I trust God with the result.

Let’s Pray.

Prayer:

Closing Hymn:

Closing Benediction:

Ephesians 6:23-24 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.