The Good Dirt
Snapshots of Jesus and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted
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I grew up in a town, but was on the farm every summer and fall. Planting corn, tilling soil, shucking corn…
The very first parable Jesus gives is from a farming scene common to life.
Parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition 3466 μυστήριον (mustērion)
μυστήριον mustērion; from μύστης mustēs (one initiated); from 3453; a mystery or secret doctrine:—mysteries(5), mystery(22).
Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Purpose of Parables (13:10–17)
The Greek mystērion, used only here in the Gospels, became important for Paul to indicate that God’s truth comes only by revelation, not by natural insight.
Matthew & Mark Chapter 13
The word mystery, in the Bible, properly means a thing that is concealed, or that has been concealed. It does not mean that the thing was incomprehensible, or even difficult to be understood. The thing might be plain enough if revealed, but it means simply that it had not been before made known. Thus the mysteries of the kingdom do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah, which had not been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews. See Ro. 16:25; 11:25; Ep. 3:3, 4, 9.
And he said, Go, and tell this people,
Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
And see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat,
And make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Jesus “Bookends” the teaching of the Mysteries of the Kingdom with this Parable of “the Sower and the Seed.”
“Hear, Heareth, and Hearing” are found over 10 times in this section.
This Parable is The First of 30 parables...
A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels 66. The Parable of the Sower
The word parable means “a casting alongside.” In His teaching Jesus compared one thing with another to communicate truth. He picked up incidents from everyday life and compared them with a deeper, more abstract truth to help His audience understand spiritual realities.
4 areas where the seed could be planted.
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After publically giving this parable, Jesus takes the disciples probably into the house to privately explain to them it’s meaning.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
GOD WANTS US TO: (Mat 13:15)
Know Him. “Understand”
Turn to Him. “Converted means “Turn.”
“Be Healed By Him.” From our sins!
Matthew A. The Kingdom: For Listeners Only (13:1–23)
This has application even today. It is a dangerous thing to hear and understand God’s truth, and then to consciously choose to disbelieve it. Such people will become less and less aware of their own doom, as they slide deeper into denial of the Messiah. However, those who respond to God’s word with open hearts will find an ever-widening road to further insight and reward.
Why Parables?
Matthew A. The Kingdom: For Listeners Only (13:1–23)
Because of God’s determination to bless those who believe and to judge those who disbelieve, Jesus changed his public teaching style to parables—teaching tools that would further polarize believers and skeptics. To further explain his use of parables, Jesus described the condition of the skeptics. The paradox of seeing, but not seeing, and hearing, but not hearing, is resolved when we realize that the first reference to each sense has to do with their physical senses. The second reference to each sense is figurative, referring to the eyes and ears of their hearts—their capacity to accept or reject the truth laid before them.
Jesus uses the Parable of the Seed and Sower to teach and demonstrate about the Mysteries of the Kingdom that He would reveal in the next 30 Parables.
You can understand something that Joseph, Daniel, Abraham, Elijah and Jeremiah did not understand.
Some OT Prophets and Righteous men would love to know what we can know today! 17
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 13:10–17 (Mark 4:10–12; Luke 8:9–10)
Significantly Jesus did not speak of any “mysteries” concerning the kingdom of heaven until the nation had made its decision concerning Him. That decision was made by the leaders when they attributed His divine power to Satan (9:34; 12:22–37). Now Jesus unveiled certain additional facts not given in the Old Testament about His reign on earth. Many Old Testament prophets had predicted that the Messiah would deliver the nation Israel and establish His kingdom on the earth. Jesus came and offered the kingdom (4:17), but the nation rejected Him (12:24).
God reveals truth to those willing to listen. 9-12
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
To what depth of faith do you listen to respond to the WORD?
ALL 4 “RECEIVE” the Word of the Kingdom to some extent.
All 4 have “soil” in varying amounts.”
All 4 have a degree of hearing the Bible.
ONLY ONE LETs THE WORD fully TAKE ROOT.
The DIFFERENCE IS THE DIRT!
The “Dirt” is the “soil of an individual’s Heart.” WHAT IS YOUR HEART LIKE?
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Paul declared:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
The Difference is the DIRT.
4 Soils of the HEART… What is YOUR DIRT LIKE???
The Confused Heart. 18-19
The Confused Heart. 18-19
The WAY SIDE DIRT.
The Heart is Hard.
The Seed is “Sown,” distributed but sitting on top.
The Seed is stolen by Satan or another evil one.
He is an easy target because he hears with no understanding. “I don’t understand.”
Apparently, he does not want to understand further, so he is an easy target for Satan.
This heart does not study the Bible, does not read the Bible, nor listens attentively to preaching and teaching.
It could be that he is proud and is a “know it all.”
Satan steals any Bible this one has from him.
The world is like the deer and rabbits or the birds coming in to steal, kill,and destroy the Word of God taking root in a Christian’s life.
To combat damaging the seed of God’s Word, we put up fences to protect ourselves and our families from outside and evil influences.
The Confused Christian “opens” themselves up to be abused by Satan and wordly philosophy. The Word is stolen from his heart and life.
Instead of fencing in the word and knowing God personally, they often are the ones “Open Minded” to things that take away from TRUTH in their life.
Open thou mine eyes,
That I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
How to Come to Church to Hear Preaching:
Avoid Bible Skepticism.
Avoid Preacher Criticism. I look for truth, content, and delivery. Not in a condescending way.
Avoid Church Cynicism.
The Challenged Heart. 20-21
The Challenged Heart. 20-21
The STONEY DIRT.
Tribulation (“Affliction” in Mark 4:17, Distress) because of the Word.
Persecution because of the Word.
Problems will arise because of your new FAITH.
Issues will rise up because of Bible convictions.
People who “Have a problem with God” may have a problem with you.
Challenges will contend with this person’s faith.
A college professor a few years back refused to call and “him” - “her.” “I will respect you and use whatever name you want me to call you, but I will not affirm something that is not true.” He lost his job. Fired. It took a couple of years and the court decided the student was baiting the professor, knowing his Christian values, and the college wrongfully terminated his employment. He was persecuted “because of the word.” God made humanity male and female.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Confused Heart.
The Challenged Heart.
The Crowded Heart. 22
The Crowded Heart. 22
The THORNY DIRT.
Weeds choke the garden plants.
Weeds vie for nutrition and sunlight.
Weeds fight for the water.
Weeds tend to grow more easily than what’s planted.
TWO THINGS: The worries and the wealth of the world can put a choke hold on you...
Worries of the World. “Cares of this world”
‘“What if this happens?”
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“There is too much to think about.”
“How can this world be so evil?”
“What about:
The stock market? Government? New Laws? New Leaders? Education? Workplace? Police? Supreme Court? China? Russia? Peace? War? Electric Grid? Health? Health Insurance? Relationship? Family? The Car? The House? Mortgage payment? The vacation? The rental? The party? The project? The stress? The environment? The school? The sports team? the fishing boat? The yard work? The garden? Inflation? Weather? Flooding? Storms? Earthquakes? Tornadoes? Tree down? Power out? Winter heat? Blizzard? The clothes I wear? The new recipe to try?”
BTW: You do not have to teach your kids to be like the world - that comes naturally.
We don’t need classes on “HOW TO WORRY” - it is part of our human nature.
Philippians 4:6 (KJV 1900)
Be careful for nothing (DON’T WORRY); but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Wealth of the World. “deceitfulness of riches.”
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Riches are deceitful.
How much money do you need to be happy? No one knows - Rockefeller said, “Just one dollar more.”
How much money do you need to be healthy? Sickness and health come to the rich and the poor.
How much money do you need to have a family? it depends on their level of contentment or covetousness.
How much money in the bank will ensure a retirement of leisure? It could be wiped out in a moment. There are no guarantees with money.
There are no guarantees with money. That’s the point. Riches are deceitful. and uncertain.
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
You don’t have to tell your teens to start loving money, or to begin to skip spiritual Christian practices, this comes naturally to a person living for the flesh.
You must guard your own heart and guide your children's heart to not fall in love with money.
Keep thy heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
My son, give me thine heart,
And let thine eyes observe my ways.
My Favorite Illustrations The Necessity of Cultivation
The same fertile soil will grow weeds or profitable plants. If left to itself, a piece of land will become a wilderness of weeds. To produce a profitable harvest calls for preparing the soil, planting proper seed, and constant cultivation.
Children are like that. If parents want to produce something other than weeds, they must pay the price in toil and care. It may seem to be the harder way, but it is the proper way.
The CROWDED HEART allows WORRY and WEALTH get in the way of his relationship with God.
The Crowded Heart Christian does nothing of eternal value. “He becometh unfruitful.”
When I travel home and stop to see my grandmothers farm, it makes me sad. Barns falling in, fences fallen down, and once fertile fields of crops are full of weeds.
No one is there to tend the garden to do the work needed for the dirt to be used productively.
The Confused Heart
The Challenged Heart.
The Crowded Heart.
Make your Christian life count - cultivate your heart!
The Cultivated Heart. 23
The Cultivated Heart. 23
THE GOOD DIRT. Rich, Fertile, tilled and plowed up.
10,000 Sermon Illustrations Quotes
The unattended garden will soon be overrun with weeds; the heart that fails to cultivate truth and root out error will shortly be a theological wilderness. - A. W. Tozer
Hears the Word with Faith.
Understands the Word with Trust
Bears Fruit with Belief. Some bearing fruit are more prosperous than others. 100, 60, 30.
Good ground is plowed to receive the seed.
Good ground is able to receive the rain.
Good ground is soft to dig up.
Good ground has nutrients needed by the seed in order to grow.
Good ground allows for sunshine.
“Soil is a major source of nutrients needed by plants for growth. The three main nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Together they make up the trio known as NPK.”
What nutrients are needed in our hearts???
Yielding to the Holy Spirit.
Obedience to the Scripture.
Desire for doing right.
God spoke to Isreal and Judah through the prophet Hosea:
Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground:
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Break up the ground, seek the Lord, let the rain in.
God spoke to Cyrus, a Gentile emperor of the Medes and Persians. God would deliver Cyrus and use Cyrus to deliver the Jews:
Drop down, ye heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness:
Let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together;
I the Lord have created it.
The righteousness springs up at the same time as the salvation….
When the soil of the heart is prepared, no matter who you are, Jew or Gentile; you can see salvation, hear the word of God, and have understanding of the Mysteries of God’s heavenly Kingdom revealed to you in the Scripture.
Like Haggai preached: “Consider your ways.”
Read the Bible with faith each day.
Listen and see the Scriptures taught and preached, hearing and seeing with belief.
Study the Scriptures with trust in your heart.
Look to God for His Truth.
Put fences around your heart to guard your heart and to protect the faith in your heart. Some fences are meant to contain, others to defend.
Come to church expecting to hear from God’s Word.
Worship God with wonder, love, and devotion.
Participate in Scatter Group with anticipation.
Examine your own life in light of God’s Word. 1 Cor. 11
Confess any sin to God directly though, Jesus.
Get back up and keep growing in the Lord.
See God grow spiritual fruit in your life. 100, 60, 30.
Conclusion: you have some work to do, by faith to be a productive a Christian letting Gods word grow in your heart.
On the farm: When we planted smaller sections, sometimes we did not use tractors, we used Manuel labor.
Push and pull PLOW… turn over soil to receive seed and nutrients. Makes hard ground soft…
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
God Reveals Truth To Those Willing to Listen.
Plow Up Confusion, stealing the Word.
Plow Up Challenges, contesting the Word
Plow Up Weeds Worry and Money) Crowding out the Word.
Plow Up the Good DIRT Daily; with Bible reading, prayer, priority assessment and Bible personal evaluation of your life.
Want to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven? Trust Jesus. Personally believe the Gospel today.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
“I am Willing to Listen to God’s Word.”
RESPONSE:
I need to put up some fences to protect the Bible in my life.
When challenges come, I will keep believing God.
When life crowds out the Bible I will keep loving and trusting God. Worry and wealth will not choke me, crowding God’s Word out.
May God help me plow up the soil of my heart each day to better receive God’s Word.
I need salvation. I want to become a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.