Brand New: Response

Introduction

RECAP

We are in the fourth week of our series, BRAND NEW: the nature of Salvation. A series where we’ve looked at some of the different ways in which the Gospel story is explained in Scripture.

One such way is the format of God, Man, Christ, Response, also known as the Gospel on the Ground, a more personal and individual way of understanding the Gospel.

Another format is Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration, also known as the Gospel in the Air. This format takes a peek at what God is doing in the UNIVERSE through the Gospel.

So far, we’ve been working through the Gospel on the ground…

We’ve learned about God, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever, present, and perfect in all His ways.

We’ve learned about Man, created by God in His image with glorious dignity, worth, and purpose, but because of sin is now facing the Holy Eternal Wrath of God and Separation from God.

This puts us in a terrible dilemma. However last week we discussed the answer to that dilemma, Christ, God’s very own son. He was the only one who was born into this world without sin since Adam and Eve were first created. He lived a perfect life and satisfied God’s wrath by absorbing it in our place on the cross of Calvary. There God’s HOLY JUDGMENT was satisfied and 3 days later He arose from the dead calling people to turn from their sin and place their trust in Him.

And it is that response that we turn our attention to this morning.

The final theme in our Gospel on the Ground format: God, Man, Christ, and Response

Different Responses

Whenever you read through Scripture and you evaluate the way that people respond to the message of the Gospel, it is normally one of two ways: POSITIVELY with GREAT JOY, DESPERATION, and/or RELIEF or NEGATIVELY with GREAT SKEPTICISM, ANGER and/or SADNESS

Take the book of Acts as an example: in Acts 2, Peter preaches the Gospel in the power of the Spirit of God and as he is preaching he is met with this response in verse 37

Acts 2:37 ESV

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

“THEY WERE CUT TO THE HEART” - They heard the Gospel, believed it, and responded in DESPERATION, “What must we do to be saved?”

ON THE FLIP SIDE, in Acts 7, Stephen preaches the same Gospel in the power of the same Spirit of God and as he is preaching he is met with a completely radically different response in verse 54

Acts 7:54–58 ESV

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

TWO RADICALLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. ONE GROUP will do anything to receive Christ. THE OTHER GROUP will do anything to get rid of Him.

Why is that? It’s because the message is an exclusive message. It is declaring that there is eternal life and an eternal judgment that awaits us and difference between one or the other is in this exclusive God.

For the person that accepts this message through Faith and Repentance, it makes perfect sense why they would be filled with DESPERATION AND JOY.

For the person that rejects this message, it makes perfect sense why they would be filled with GRIEF AND ANGER.

However, there is another set of responses that in some ways kind of fall in between these two polar opposites and those responses can be found in Matthew 13 in the parable of the sower and the seed.

There are four unique responses in this parable and all of them capture an audience somewhat giving the Gospel a listen...

They aren’t hostile per se. They aren’t stoning or stringing up the messenger, and yet only one actually walks away having received the message.

Defining the Sower and the Seed (v3, 18)

Matthew 13:3 ESV

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.

Before we deal with the responses it is important for us to understand who and what we are responding to.

Said another way, in this parable, we need to understand who is the sower and what is the seed.

What is the Seed?

In reading the parable, we learn a few things about the sower and the seed. When we look at verse 19, the first thing that we learn is that the seed is the WORD of the KINGDOM.

Matthew 13:19 ESV

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.

And what is the word of the Kingdom?

Simply put, the word of the Kingdom is the message of the Gospel. It is saving good news of Jesus Christ: The story of God creating a perfect world, only to have man fall because of sin and corrupt that perfect world, and God in His providence spending the rest of human history redeeming that corrupt world through His Son Jesus Christ. That is the seed!

Who is the Sower?

If the Seed is the saving good news of Jesus Christ, it only makes sense that the Sower is Christ himself or those who represent Him, sharing in His name, His word of the Kingdom with any who would have ears to listen.

In fact, we come to know the sower in this text based on the seed that is sown. He is paired with it. Anyone who comes along sowing a different seed than the word of the Kingdom is not a sower in this fold.

We sometimes fall into the habit of determining who is a true sower using all the wrong factors to make this determination!!!

We incorrectly judge the legitimacy of a sower based on their style, their ability, or their charisma,

We incorrectly judge the legitimacy of a sower based on their ability to perform great works, the level of closeness we possess with the individuals, and everything else except for the thing of first importance!!! ARE THEY PREACHING THE AUTHENTIC GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST?

DO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT SEED!

The Bible clearly tells us that many will come as Sowers of the kingdom of God, but in reality will be nothing more but enemies of it!

1 John 4:1–3 ESV

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

One of the first test in determining the legitimacy of the sower is by looking at the seed being casted out.

Who is the Soil?

Lastly, we have the different types of soil. Those are the different people who are given the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Only one ends up fully embracing the Gospel message, but make no mistake about it…this is not a text only about your rank and file unbeliever who never shows up in church, who speaks very strongly against God.

Many of these folks appear friendly to the Gospel.

They even appear at times in their life to be believers, but something or some things along the way knock them off course.

So, we know who the sower is, we know what the seed is, and who the soil represents.

What else do you see in this text?

NOTICE WHAT DOESN’T CHANGE: The seed and the sower

They are the constant in this story, not the variable. They are unchanging.

NO APOLOGIES IS MADE IN THIS TEXT FOR THE SEED NOT PRODUCING FRUIT IN CERTAIN GROUNDS.

(1) Fruitfulness is not dependent on the sower or the seed changing. It’s dependent on the soil in which the sower casts the seed upon.

As you read through the text, you learn that the soils are what creates the dilemmas. Some soils are conducive to change. Others are not.

This is an extremely important lesson for Gospel work and Gospel ministry.

SOOOO MANY WELL MEANING Christians try so hard to win converts that we end up changing the seed that we’re supposed to sow in the hopes that different seed will do the trick.

HOWEVER, HERE IS SOMETHING WE MUST NEVER FORGET WHEN IT COMES TO EVANGELISM...what the soul is won with is what the soul will cling to.

Win a soul with entertainment…The soul will cling to entertainment...

Win a soul with performance…the soul will cling to performance...

Win a soul with half-truths…the soul will cling to half-truths...

Example: Here is what I mean...Some folks want to see a response so bad that they tell folks: “Come to Jesus and your life will be better. You’ll be more successful. You’ll be prosperous. You’ll be healthy. You won’t have to suffer from depression any longer. You won’t have to battle sin any longer.”

Or

“Come to Jesus so you can come and hear top tier motivational speeches for your life or be a part of top tier worship concerts every week.”

And of course when they come based on those grounds, they are compelled to cling to those grounds.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong at all with worship that is beautiful and awe-inspiring or preaching that is witty and interesting.

I’m also not saying that embracing Jesus won’t make life better. It could bring more success, it could lead to a healthier life, it will help you deal with anxiety, depression...

But those aren’t the main messages and takeaways of the Gospel message…those aren’t the main takeaways from the word of the Kingdom. So, when we make them the main message, we should not be surprised if we experience a false growth.

(2) The only chance we have for true fruitfulness is if we rely on the right sower and the right seed.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

When the seed and sower are properly reflected and the message is still rejected, it is not the seed and sower that is the problem. IT IS THE SOIL which we now turn our attention to for the remainder of our time.

The sower is indiscriminately casting seed on every soil. Taking his chances in hopes that God will do a work in one or all of them…Jesus describes the first seed in

The Seed Along The Path: Responding Without Understanding (v4, 19)

Matthew 13:4 ESV

4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

Matthew 13:19 ESV

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.

In Ancient Palestine, farming fields were surrounded by pathways that were packed down daily by (1) the foot traffic from people going through and (2) the hot scorching sun. These pathways prohibited the seed from sinking down and so they were in clear vision for the birds to swoop down and eat. These seeds were taken the moment that they were sown. That is pretty much the man or woman who just hears the word of God in passing and pays it no attention, or hears it and is not moved in anyway by it. Their hearts are so hardened that the Word does nothing for them. As 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, the Word of the cross is foolishness to them!!! It makes no since!!! Either, they don’t see their need for a savior, they don’t see their need to make Jesus their savior, or they’ve already embraced something or someone else as their savior. People who exhibit this type of heart could go to church, hear the word of God preached in power, and the moment the sermon is finished you could walk up to them and ask them what the message was about, and they wouldn’t have a clue. These are the people that you evangelize and witness to, and it seems like everything that is being said, no matter how compelling and how convincing, turns into useless debates. The enemy won’t let the Word set foot on their hearts.

Jesus even has these people in mind when He speaks in parables...

Just a few verses down in verses 10-15

Matthew 13:10–15 ESV

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.’

These folks are everywhere…work, home, school and yes, church!

Plenty of folks attend church and possess no passion towards the Gospel whatsoever. They may come to church because they enjoy the singing, they find the youth group activities healthy for their children, they enjoy the community, they enjoy serving, they like the food but they are completely unphased by the preaching of the Gospel. The saddest commentary of all concerning this group is that it is MASSIVE!!!

Most folks in this group know where they stand though…they know if they’re feeling this or not.

The next two groups aren’t always as clearly discerned

The Seed On Stone: Responding Without Roots (v5-6, 20)

Matthew 13:5–6 ESV

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.

Matthew 13:20 ESV

20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

This is not simply a description of soil with rocks in it but rather describing a thin layer of soil that is covering bedrock beneath it. To the untrained eye, the soil looks fine and appears suitable for yielding much crop. The soil even allows for crop to sprout out of the ground faster than normal, appearing as though the soil not only has a great yield ahead, but a quick producing yield ahead. Unfortunately, one doesn’t notice that the only reason that it’s sprouting up so fast is because it’s not growing down into the soil and establishing its roots. See, beneath the surface the bedrock is stunting the proper growth and nourishment of the crop. I simply cannot express how many times I’ve seen this. Immediate excitement and joy over the prospects of following Jesus but the cost has not been carefully considered. You’ve seen it…maybe it used to be you…maybe it’s you right now and you’re not even aware of it!!! Let me describe it. Young girl breaks up with long time boyfriend of 5 years and falls into deep depression. Girl goes to church one Sunday, and hears about Jesus, the wonderful things that he can do, and all the pains and hurts that he can heal. The music is playing, the singers are singing, the preacher is preaching, emotions are high, and with great joy she accepts Jesus as her Lord so He can take the pain away. She leaves the church on an emotional high, and begins to “serve the Lord” with great passion and desire!!! Fast forward, 6 months down the road, church isn’t as fun as it used to be, the word is as boring as ever, and low and behold the old boyfriend is calling again seeking to reconcile and repair the relationship. PLUS, all of her friends are mocking her turn to Christianity and teasing her about all the things she’s missing out on!!! She starts out slowly, creeping back into her old habits, but before she knows it her church attendance floundering, she’s back with the old friends, she’s back with the old boyfriend, and her fire has been quenched. Backslider??? NO!!! She wasn’t saved to begin with!

One preacher had this to say about the soul that is settle in rocky soil:

“Do you think any farmer would have a crop of corn next year unless he plowed now? You may as well expect a crop of corn on unplowed ground as a crop of grace until the soul is convinced of its being undone without a Savior. That is the reason we have so many mushroom converts, so many persons that are always happy, happy, happy, and never were miserable. Why? Because their stony ground is not plowed up; they have not got a conviction of the law… they fall away… That makes me so cautious now, which I was not thirty years ago, of dubbing converts too soon. Now I wait a little, and see if people bring forth fruit; for there are so many blossoms which March winds blow away that I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought forth.”

The Seed Among Thorns: Responding Without Conviction??? (v7, 22)

Matthew 13:7 ESV

7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

Matthew 13:22 ESV

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.

This is the one that who comes to Jesus in hopes that he will fix the cares of the world.

Come to Jesus and I’ll be healthier…

Come to Jesus and I’ll be wealthier…

Come to Jesus and my family will be safe...

And when it doesn’t happen these folks

1 Timothy 6:9–10 ESV

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

I'm watching people more and more go through what they are calling a season of deconstruction...and I don't have an issue with that...there are some bad practices that have been attached to the name of Christ and there have been some bad allegiances that have paraded themselves as representing Jesus when in fact they are nothing more than idolatry portrayed as Gospel. So yeah, change some doors out, replace the roof, update the windows and the flooring. But it when goes from simply rethinking some of the ways I've been taught the faith to me renouncing the faith all together than the truth of the matter is my foundation was never Christ. It was never sure. Whatever I embraced, I embraced on a pretense of what Christ was going to do for me in this life, not what he was going to do for me in the next.

Brother and sister, if you are in that season of deconstruction and saying to yourself, I'm not sure I want to continue. Let me say that I get it. I understand it, but before you walk you must ask yourself this question, what was my hope in in the first place? The opportunity for blessings... The opportunity to earn favor with a girl or a boy that I liked... The opportunity to serve and help people... The opportunity to adopt good moral conduct and behavior... Nothing wrong with any of these things but none of them can be foundation. If they are then deconstruction most likely only becomes a fancy word for departure.

Here is the sober truth about defection...

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

The soil was never sure...

The Seed In Good Ground: Responding With Genuine Faith (v8, 23)

Matthew 13:8 ESV

8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Matthew 13:23 ESV

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.”

True Faith is RELIANCE and DEPENDENCE On WHAT GOD has done come what may

True FAITH is looking not to this life for the fulfillment of God’s promises but it is looking to the next...

True FAITH understands that this life offers no guarantees…

Even Jesus himself says in this life you will have trouble!!!

Peter - Where else where we go? You have the words of eternal life...

Job 1 - Will he serve you for nothing?

Yes, this walk can be extremely hard at times, but...where else am I going and who else has the words of eternal life?

Yes, this walk can be extremely lonely at times, but...where else am I going and who else has the words of eternal life?

No, this walk doesn't always bring an end to my suffering or the suffering of those that I love, but...where else am I going and who else has the words of eternal life?

No, this walk doesn't guarantee that my relationships will be perfect. It doesn't guarantee that my spouse won't leave me...that my parents or my kids will love me like they should...this walk doesn't guarantee that churches will be perfect and that pastors won't fleece their flocks but...SAINTS of God where else am I going and who else has the words of eternal life?

Illustration (I know I mention my father to you guys often in illustrations but you have to understand that without God's profound use of his life, my life as it is probably doesn't exist): Early on when my father was diagnosed with brain cancer, I remember having a conversation with him. Like so many of those conversations back then, I didn't understand or appreciate the talk nearly as much as I do now as an older man ten years later. Nevertheless, we was having this conversation and he basically said. I'm praying for God to heal me. I know He can heal me, but even if he didn't I wouldn't turn my back on Him...WHERE ELSE WOULD I GO!!!!!!