"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 the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And
the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who
hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings
forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
Good Morning my beloved,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, often endured long receiving lines at the White
House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was
said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To
each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I
murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with
phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you.
God bless you, sir." It was not until the end of the line, while
greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually
heard. Unsure as to how to respond, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I’m sure
she had it coming."
Do you ever wonder if anyone is really listening? I'm sure Jesus did. Like Jesus' parable, this story does point out a serious human flaw and that is to our own detriment, we can be selective in our hearing. Jesus wanted to get people’s attention because He had important matters to speak to them about, to make the truth more clear to those that were really seeking the truth. However, for those that were not seeking the truth, His stories had a way of making the meaning more obscure.
What really satisfies us is Jesus and the Word of God, not food. Like the disciples, we’re often so wrapped up in ourselves, our daily needs; what we’re going to eat, how our jobs are going, and what we’re going to do next, that inadvertently we miss what is truly important. Too often focused on ourselves,we don’t see others the way Jesus would have us to. Jesus was focused on doing the will of His father, I believe we need to become more Jesus and less like the disciples. We need to see every person without Christ as soil to be cultivated. And every person with Christ has a seed of which needs to be planted. God's Word can only reap if it is sown.
I believe sometimes we as Christians think that if the seed has been planted, there is nothing else to do. While the process cannot be rushed, it needs to be watered and cultivated in order to grow and produce. When the ground is cultivated, and the seed is planted and watered, the time for reaping is soon at hand. I would suggest that we open our eyes, take a look at what’s happening in the world right now. The seed that is sown is the message of the kingdom, the Good News. The soils are the hearts of the people, who will make the decision about the message. There is a sense of urgency, the harvest is coming in even as I speak.
In the process of evangelism, the planter and the reaper are two different people, and often, the time needed for germination of the seed takes much longer than expected before it’s ready for harvest. While the results of the seeds planted and the harvest are not up to us, the responsibility to sow the seeds is. As a pastor, I confess that cultivating and planting can literally wipe you out, leave you feeling exhausted but I assure you it’s worth it to those of us who have been given the privilege.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said " I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." Today, each of us are reaping what other people have cultivated and planted. They did the hard work so we can have the privilege of sharing in the harvest. What better way to thank them for the seeds that they planted, than for each of us to do our part to continue the process.
We should not put off until tomorrow, what needs to be done today. God is speaking to each of us through His word now, if we will only listen.
Let us pray
Heaven Father,
Father, we are so thankful for You Word, thank You for the resident teacher, Your Spirit that indwells in us. We thank You for those who are gathered with us today, we know that was all by Your choosing. Most of all, we thank You for Your wonderful unfolding plan of salvation through Christ, that we would receive forgiveness of all our sin and have eternal life in Your glorious Kingdom. Lord, we pray that You do a mighty in the hearts of every unbeliever among us, that they would receive the Good News and come to Christ, in confession and repentance. May it all be for Your glory and Christ's sake.
In His precious name we ask and pray these things.
Amen
Today's Message: The Root Of The Problem
I believe as Christians we need to be aware that God uses us to cultivate the soil of people’s lives. Cultivation is an appeal to the heart through the building of a relationship, investing in their lives, spending time with them. It moves from telling them about our faith to demonstrating our faith to them through our own lives. It’s living out what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Metaphorically, allowing them to get close enough to you so that they can smell the fragrance of Christ. We must start first in your own families, our co-workers and our neighbors. Chances are there are some who have not experienced the joy of knowing Christ. I charge you to cultivate these relationships so that will get close enough to want to know more. People don’t care what we know until they know that we care.
Other times, we have the opportunity to sow by sharing the gospel message. When we sow the seeds of the gospel we must be sensitive to the preparedness of the soil. However, we don’t always know which soil has already been prepared. So our job is to scatter seed, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the hearts He has prepared. By living godly life, we prepare those around us to hear the Word of God.
And, on occasion, we have the great honor and privilege of participate in reaping the harvest. Be kind, compassionate and respectful. Most importantly, don’t forget what it was like before you received Christ.
Jesus had Good News to share, there was an entrance into the kingdom of
God that comes by grace through faith. Eternal life comes to the one who
believes. If a person is not saved, it is because they do not want to
be saved, the same is true today. I believe that God speaking in the day
in which we live, the problem is, we so busy making a lot of noise, we
miss it. Forgive me for my attitude, but sometimes it seems like a waste
of time, it goes in one ear and out the other. I mean why bother to
speak if no one's listening anyway? He continues to speak to us because
it is His nature to do so, to reconcile the lost to Himself through
Jesus Christ, that none may perish but receive eternal life. What a
loving and gracious God we serve. Make no mistake, it is not the message
that is defective, but the heart of the hearer. I find it interesting
that the most rebellious of sinners often become sanctified saints, of
which I am one of them.
Open your Bibles with me to the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 13:18-23.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 18 through 23.
Let us open our hearts for what the Spirit of God has to say to each of
us.
"Hear then the parable of the sower. 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 the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And
the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who
hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings
forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
Let's look at verse 18, "Hear then the parable of the sower." How privileged these few were to have receive the explanations of the parable which Jesus gave to them, opening up their spiritual eyes. Notice He didn't offer any explanation to the crowds. Quite frankly, they did not want to understand. Their hearts were hardened. Spiritually speaking, they ears had shut off to what Jesus was saying to them.They were listening for something, but it was not the truth. Only when we’re seeking the truth, will God give us more. You will remember, in verse 12 Jesus said "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." I believe this is still true today, Jesus doesn’t always give a full explanation, He desires we seek Him for clarification.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of deception and confusion in the world right now, I believe this is the reprobate mind, the judgement of God to which the culture is enslaved. The Apostle Paul warned us in Romans chapter 1, "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."Our society can longer define and understand the basics of life, such as a male and female. People can now, based upon an momentary whimsical "feeling" define themselves to be something other than they are. It has affected every area of society, from our schools, seminaries and even our federal government. When senator Marsha Blackburn, asked Supreme Court Judge Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings if she could "provide a definition for the word 'woman." To which she stated she "could not in that context because she's not a biologist." I hasten to say that she also stated in that same Judiciary hearing, that president Joe Biden nominated her "in part because she is a woman." Has there ever been a society this self-centered, this egotistical,
this prideful, this materialistic, literally consumed with advancing its own agenda. Canceling anyone who disagrees with their deeply rooted insanity?
I must say there are many churches who aren’t helping, especially when it comes to preaching the Gospel. There are many well-meaning preachers who will tell literally anyone who raises their hand or fills out a card and walks down an aisle and says a prayer that they have been saved. This is great for increasing church attendance and membership, meeting the budget through increased tithing, but it's not authentic salvation. Then, there are the false teachers, the ministers of Satan, are perverting the truth, re-imagining the Scripture to say things the Gospel never intended, things that are in stark contrast from what God Himself says in His Word. One of the popular ideologies is that "We're all on a spiritual journey, traveling different paths, headed to the same destination." NOT TRUE! This is heresy.
In John 14:6, Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Jesus Christ, the One who came into the world, the first to preach salvation through His name alone. I believe Jesus is telling the church we must stop this deceptive teaching and preaching"easy believism." Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, the second member of the Trinity and place trust in Him are headed straight to Hell for an eternity of torment and never-ending torture!
Satan himself is behind all of this deception and confusion to prevent the seed of the true Gospel from taking root. John 8:44 says he "was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Now let's look at verse 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 the one on whom seed was sown beside the road." The seed Jesus is referring to is is the Word of God. The Gospel message about God’s kingdom and the way in which one can enter into the kingdom. Christ is inviting people to come into His kingdom, however it must be on His terms. You have to receive Christ's invitation as it's offered, there is no negotiating the terms to get a "better deal."
Christianity is exclusive. Truth by definition is exclusive. Only those who truly receive the Word of God and Jesus Christ, following and obeying His teaching will enter into His kingdom. He's talking about the one who hears and rejects of the gospel because the message can’t penetrate the hardened calloused heart, allowing an opportunity for Satan to move in and snatch it away. There's self-examination, no soul searching, no repentance, only rejection. There are a great many people suffering from this in our society today.
In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul said in no uncertain terms "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
Many today profess allegiance to Christ, but they don’t really consider or understand the commitment that is involved.And, when they finally realize things aren’t always exactly what they thought or what they were told, they jump ship. There's more to the kingdom of heaven than a "Get out of Hell free" card. They’re confused, settling for a cheap substitute. Just as you can’t create a synthetic seed, you cannot create synthetic truth. Salvation is one of the most misunderstood concepts being taught in the church today. That to be saved simply means going to heaven, being forgiven of sin to escape hell. While those are certainly true, to be saved, to receive salvation means to be delivered.
Delivered from what? Sin. Christians, then are delivered from the kingdom of
darkness, a life of sin into the kingdom of Light, the kingdom God. This is the salvation Jesus is talking about.
Today, society believes because we are all different as individuals and should be able to fully express our differences and live in full openness and truthfulness. In other words, the truth is whatever a person defines truth to be and everybody should live their own truth. While this may sound oh so philosophical, it is a supreme distortion of reality, which ultimately manifests itself through the other areas of our life. Like thinking you can suddenly choose your gender. If we are not cautious, this evil, corrupt society will continue to influence our children, and us as individuals. There is only One Absolute truth! John 17:17 says "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." Jesus Christ told the truth about love, sin, judgement, punishment, heaven and hell! Never once did He deviate from the truth to please His hearers. I believe the church today would do well to do the same.
In 2 Timothy 4, Paul wrote to Timothy, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." We who teach and preach are called to preach the Word, as it is written.
Well, I know that was sort of a detour, a rather long way back to Matthew 13, but with so much false teaching and deception, I believe it needed to be clearly stated. Who is the sower? The sower the Greek verb "speiró," which is anyone who sows the seed, anyone who preaches the message of the Gospel. Anyone who is sharing the message of God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ, is sowing the seed. It worth mentioning, that is not the sole responsibility of the pastor, as Christians, that’s the calling for all of us, to spread the Gospel. The parable then is about sowing seed.
In verses 20-21, Jesus explains the second type of soil. "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. " This turns the parable from the sower to the soil, the one on whom seed was sown. Anyone who hears the message. The results of the seed always depend on the condition of the soil, never the seed.
Here He says the seed was sown on the rocky places, this is a clear illustration of the person who has shallow faith. Upon hearing the message, they immediately receive it with joy, at least superficially. In other words, joy without commitment. They just jumped in head first, not realizing that it was going to cost them something. They never counted the cost of a relationship with Christ. Folks, there will be a real price to pay, it may well cost you your marriage, your family, your friends or your employment. Moreover, it may well cost you your life. Christian persecution in all it's various forms is increasing around the world. When it comes to the cost, they're unwilling to pay the price. By the way, they're not always obvious. Sooner or later, when difficulty arises, they run. I'm always being asked why I would say that trouble and persecution are good for the church, it strengthens true believers, weeds out the false Christians. Ironically, rather than destroying the church, persecution advances the Gospel.
Church attendance is lower than I can recall ever seeing it in my lifetime. With the exceptions of Easter and Christmas, people aren't going to church like they used to. It much more convenient to sit back in your easy chair, coffee in hand and listen to a television in your pajamas then get dressed and go to church. There's never a lack of excuses, they have to work, they're too tired because they've worked, the grass needs cut, the trash needs taken out. I believe the bottomline is obvious, whatever else it is takes a higher priority than God in their life. There are of course exceptions to this, such as a real emergency.
Another thing I've noticed is that people in general, including Christians, do not call upon the Lord as they once did. That is not until some life threatening illness, financial worries or some other devastating situation happens. As a footnote, God often uses difficulties to draw us closer to Him.
Verse 22, Jesus describes the third type of soil. "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." Thorns are predatory plants. This person hears the Word, believes the Word, receives the Word, but because of worldly cares and the deceitfulness of pursing money. They're more interested in advancing their career, climbing up the corporate ladder than entering the kingdom of God. In other word, the soil appears to be good,but it's never been properly prepared. As James said they're trying to serve God and money. This person never really let's go of their hold on the world to get a good grasp on the kingdom. This is a very profound truth, especially in the materialistic, money oriented, status driven world in which we live. Satan manages to comes along and chokes the life out before the seed ever has an opportunity to become fruitful. Thorns are natural to our soul, the good seed is not.
In Matthew 6, Jesus said "No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and wealth."
And in James chapter 4, James boldly says "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Joshua 24:15 says "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Our world is filled with Christians who believe they have their ticket to Heaven, so in the meantime, they can live any way they want. Living in habitual sin is incompatible with the Gospel. I guess I will never understand why people expect to spend eternity when they don’t want to spend time with God now. They expect Him to bless them while doing freely what He calls sin. They counterfeit Christians. True salvation can only occur in a heart that's been prepared, soften by confession and repentance, maybe even desperation.
That brings us to verse 23, where Jesus describes the last type of soil, where the condition of the soil is right, it's been prepared. The soil is rich, free of rock and thorns "And
the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who
hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings
forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." This is the one who hears the Word, believes the Word, received, the Word, and lives the Word. By the way, not every Christian produces the same amount of fruit. Though all true believers bear some fruit, some bear more fruit, and some bear much fruit. Bearing fruit is the distinguishing mark of all believers. But do not judge someone by the amount of fruit produce even the soil that produces a small crop is "good soil."
In Matthew 7, Jesus said "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
In Closing..
Every believer is called to sow the good seed, the message of salvation according to the Gospel. Allow me share something that I believe will be helpful to you, the more seed you sow the more you increase your chances of sowing in good soil. So throw seed in every direction!
If you are a professing Christian, is Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life? Do you confess Him before men? And, if you were to saying nothing, would others know that you are a Christian by the way you live for Him? If not, then you're playing Russian roulette with your soul. Counterfeit Christians are only fooling themselves, God knows the heart.
If you ou need to surrender your life to Christ, I strongly encourage you to do it today. With His return being nearer than it's ever been, the stakes have never been higher, the odds have never been worse.
"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Psalm 95:7-8 teaches us "Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." In other words, today is the day of salvation. Come Lord Jesus, come!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen