The Parable of the Sower.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Matthew 13. [0:04] As we get started, that’s where we will really be for the next few weeks, really, is in this [0:10] chapter. [0:11] But I do want to, just by way of announcement this morning, we are eight weeks away from [0:18] Easter Sunday, which is always an exciting day to celebrate the resurrection of our God [0:26] and King Jesus.

[0:27] One thing that I do want you to be aware of is in anticipation of that, we realized [0:33] that because of the crowd that will be gathered that day, that we will not be able to fit [0:37] into two services at 9 and 11. [0:40] So we are going to be moving our services that day, actually, to the old Journey Church [0:46] building, which is right down the road from here, right beside Clover Hill High School. [0:51] People will be using their entire facility that day as they do not any longer use it.

[0:57] And it’s going to be sufficient for us to have one service at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday. [1:03] One of the main reasons that we’re doing this is because something that we realized on Christmas [1:07] Eve, and that is when you are limited by space, you are limited to how many people you can [1:11] bring with you. [1:12] And we do not want that to be a hindrance. [1:15] So what we want to do is meet in a space that is large enough for you to be able to invite

[1:21] as many people, to really feel a responsibility, frankly, to invite people so that they can [1:27] hear the gospel of Jesus on that day, to know why Easter is celebrated in our culture at [1:34] least and why we focus on the resurrection, why we have a gospel. [1:38] This is a great opportunity that culture really affords us, as this is really the one day [1:43] that we or many will gather at all to hear the gospel of Jesus. [1:47] So I want you to feel great ability that day because we’re going to have more space than

[1:54] we do here, plenty of space, because that day is just our theme is going to be, it’s [1:58] all about Jesus. [2:00] We really just pray that that would be the abundantly clear message on Easter Sunday [2:08] this year is that we’re a church that’s all about Jesus, that the resurrection is all [2:13] about Jesus and our lives are all about Jesus. [2:15] So I encourage you to begin to get the word out about that now.

[2:19] And the significant thing about that day is do not come here at 9 a.m. or 11. [2:25] If it’s at 11, you’ve really missed it. [2:27] But if it’s at 9, you only have a little ways to go and maybe you can help us set some things [2:31] up. [2:31] We’re going to have child care there, we’re going to have everything that we would normally [2:35] have here is going to be there because the facilities are sufficient for it.

[2:39] So Easter Sunday, the old journey building at 10 a.m. [2:43] one service that day. [2:45] This Sunday, we are moving into a new series about the kingdom of God, kind of titled [2:51] The Kingdom is Like. [2:53] And so we’re going to be spending the next seven weeks before we get to Easter, we’re [2:57] going to spend those weeks going through the parables, mostly in the book of Matthew.

[3:02] But we’re also going to going to go around the Gospels to see what Mark and Luke have [3:07] to say as well. [3:09] But in this series, what we’re going to be focused on in this time is not as much of [3:14] what is the future reality of God’s kingdom going to be like as the scripture does touch [3:19] on that. [3:19] But what Jesus main message for us in these parables is really what does the kingdom do

[3:25] to me right here right now in my life? [3:28] What does the kingdom have for me in my every day? [3:32] Because with the parables of Jesus that we have in the book of Matthew, in the book of [3:37] Mark, in the book of Luke, and there’s a few also in the book of John. [3:40] But we have in these parables are that Jesus uses similes, which are like metaphors. [3:46] They just have the word like or as I don’t know.

[3:47] We learned that like the third grade and I had to look it up this week. [3:50] But I’m not that sharp. [3:53] Very forgetful. [3:55] But what he does is he uses these similes for us to understand the practical nature [4:01] of what he desires to do in our lives. [4:05] So I want to set the stage for you as to what he’s doing in Matthew 13.

[4:10] He has there’s a lot of parallels between the nation of Israel in the book of Exodus [4:15] as well as Jesus in the book of Matthew. [4:18] He has just come out of 40 days of temptation as Israel came out of 40 years in the wilderness [4:24] and he’s come out of this as a conquering king, as Israel was conquering nations when [4:29] they entered the promised land. [4:30] He’s healing the lame.

[4:32] He’s healing the sick. [4:34] He’s teaching with great authority. [4:37] He is being God on display in front of everyone. [4:41] He’s rooting redemption into this world. [4:44] Things that the curse of sin have caused. [4:47] He is reversing those curses and he’s redeeming them through healing, through teaching.

[4:55] Then in Matthew 13, we find him at a place where he begins to use parables. [5:02] And it seemed very odd to his disciples that he began to do this because everybody was [5:06] crying out, Jesus, what is the kingdom going to be like? [5:09] Teacher, tell us. [5:10] Teacher, we’re waiting for the kingdom because that is what Israel longed for. [5:14] They wanted their kingdom to be re-instituted into this life.

[5:20] Jesus speaks to them in these strange parables. [5:23] In Matthew 13, we read that same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [5:31] And great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat down. [5:35] And the whole crowd stood on the beach. [5:37] And he told them many things in parables saying, A sower went out to sow. [5:42] And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came down and devoured them.

[5:49] Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. [5:53] And immediately they spring up since they had no depth of soil. [5:58] And when the sun rose, they were scorched. [6:01] And since they had no root, they withered away. [6:04] Other seeds fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them. [6:07] Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some hundredfold, some 60, some 30.

[6:14] He who has ears, let him hear.

[6:19] So imagine the irritation. [6:21] Tell us about the kingdom. [6:23] And he begins to talk about gardening techniques.

[6:28] Just imagine being a part of that crowd and you’re so excited. [6:30] This is the conquering king that you’ve been waiting for. [6:33] He begins using this language that you have no idea what he’s talking about. [6:38] And now you’re saying, OK, because remember, a good way to understand parables is understand they didn’t have the same type of culture that we had. [6:45] He may have given a parable about waiting in the drive through if he’d been in this culture. [6:49] But in that culture, they’re still somewhat agrarian in the way that they grow food and in the way that they harvest food.

[6:55] And so they know what gardening is. [6:57] They know what farming looks like. [6:59] They know what it looks like to sow seeds. [7:01] And they know how to till it. [7:02] They know what good soil looks like. [7:05] And they know what it is when they go out and they sow the seeds and then they wait and they take care of it.

[7:09] They get the weeds out of it and they wait until the produce. [7:12] And now they have the side item for dinner when they’re eating the fatted calf on a good celebration day. [7:17] And they say, well, that’s not exactly what I was expecting the kingdom to be like. [7:21] Sounds a lot like what I’m already doing. [7:23] Jesus, thank you very much. [7:26] And so in their mind, they’re saying, I know you do not take seed and throw it on the side of the road.

[7:31] Yeah, I know that. [7:32] You do not take seed and put it on soil that’s not tilled, that’s not deep, that does not have good topsoil because the roots will not go down. [7:40] We know this, Jesus. [7:41] I know that if the weeds shoot up, they’re going to choke the life out of my plants and out of my vegetables and out of everything that I’m looking to grow here. [7:51] I know this, Jesus. [7:52] And absolutely, if we planted in good soil, we know.

[7:57] That it’s going to give us produce, you know, there’s going to be a harvest. [8:01] And we know that we have no control over what that harvest looks like. [8:05] Sometimes it’s going to be a hundredfold. [8:06] And that’s a great year. [8:08] Sometimes 60, good year, sometimes 30. [8:10] We’re not going to starve to death that year.

[8:12] That’s good. We don’t have control over that. [8:14] We can do all that we can do. [8:16] And that’s fine. [8:17] But Jesus, that’s not really what we asked you about.

[8:22] And so when he really cappons it and he really puts a great bookend on this, when he says he who has ears. [8:29] Let him hear.

[8:32] An important thing to understand about parables is that in telling these practical stories, he’s using parables to reveal truth to those who believe in him.

[8:44] To those who have ears to hear. [8:49] But he is also using parables to conceal truth from those who were denying the obvious.

[8:58] You see, what Jesus means to say in one way. [9:02] Is that the kingdom is standing directly in front of you. [9:07] Stop searching. [9:09] Stop asking. [9:11] Stop being confused. [9:14] You’ve heard me teach.

[9:16] You’ve seen me heal. [9:18] You’ve heard me proclaim exactly what the kingdom is like simply by my very existence. [9:24] I’ve fulfilled all of the prophecies. [9:27] And Isaiah, and I’m headed down the path to fulfill even more. [9:31] I’ve given you the sermon on the Mount. [9:33] I’ve told you that some of you are going to proclaim to God when you get in front of the father, you’re going to say, did I not cast out demons in your name?

[9:39] Did I not do great works in your name? [9:41] And he’s going to say, I never knew you. [9:44] Depart from me. [9:46] The kingdom is standing directly in front of you, and yet you continue to ask. [9:54] What is the kingdom? [9:56] As if it makes you somehow more spiritual to continue your search.

[10:04] But what Jesus means to tell them by saying things like he who has ears, let him hear. [10:09] He means to tell them you’re missing the point. [10:12] The search is over. [10:14] Jesus is the king. [10:15] The kingdom is completely fulfilled in him. [10:18] And if you continue to search past.

[10:22] The king. [10:24] If you continue your searching past the one who was promised, if you continue your search past God. [10:34] Then, yes, your searching is in vain.

[10:39] You see, when Jesus. [10:41] Makes that statement, he’s quoting Isaiah six, but keep reading in verse ten.

[10:49] Then the disciples came. [10:51] I love this because he always kind of makes the disciples look a little foolish. [10:55] There’s a 12 men that he walked around choosing saying, follow me. [10:59] And they always kind of put their foot in their mouths, kind of misunderstand. [11:04] They said to him. [11:06] Why do you speak to them in parables?

[11:10] No, they don’t say why do you speak to us? [11:12] I don’t know if it’s because they don’t want to admit they’re confused or not. [11:15] It’s like I’m asking for a friend.

[11:19] I get it. [11:22] I got this guy over here. [11:23] He doesn’t know. [11:24] And so maybe you can help me explain it to him.

[11:29] And he answered them. [11:31] To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given for to the one who has more will be given and he will have an abundance. [11:43] But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

[11:51] This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [11:59] Indeed, in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled. [12:03] That says, he’s quoting Isaiah six. [12:05] It says, you will indeed hear, but never understand. [12:07] You will indeed see, but never perceive for this people’s heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear in their eyes. [12:15] They have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with them and turn.

[12:22] And I would heal them. [12:25] But bluster your eyes for they see in your ears, for they hear for truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people long to see what you see and did not see it. [12:37] And to hear what you hear and did not hear it.

[12:41] I think about the saints of the Old Testament, the prophets, I think about Isaac, I think about Jeremiah, I think all the way back to people like Moses and Abraham.

[12:51] And I think about the promises that God made to them and the fulfillment of those promises that they did not see when they were on earth.

[12:59] What Jesus is saying to the disciples, he’s saying, do you understand what a special moment you’re in? [13:05] Do you understand what a privilege it is that you have?

[13:11] Those who have made this promise to they didn’t get to see this, but you get to see this. [13:16] You get to see the very king of the universe. [13:19] You get to see the very God who spoke all that is into existence stand directly in front of you. [13:25] Even if I teach in parables, what a blessing it is that you get to hear it. [13:32] The Old Testament, the book of Isaiah, Chapter six, Isaiah has an amazing experience with God. [13:39] He’s caught up in the year that King Uzziah died, a great king, a person that that Israel really depended on.

[13:45] And he’s kind of depressing, he’s kind of sad. [13:46] He says, what is my kingdom going to look like now? [13:50] Are we going to lose the kingdom? [13:52] And God brings Isaiah up into his presence and he sees the glory of the king. [13:57] He sees the magnificence of God. [13:59] He says, the train of his robe filled the temple that there were seraphim flying around him, crying, Holy, Holy, Holy.

[14:04] And at the sound of the deepness of their voices and the proclamations of praise, the entire temple shakes. [14:11] The smoke filled the air full of God’s glory.

[14:16] And Isaiah is undone because he knows his utter foolishness for not trusting the true king. [14:24] God cleanses him of his sin. [14:25] And then God says, whom shall I send? [14:27] Who will go for us? [14:28] And Isaiah, in that moment, you’re in front of the king. [14:30] You mean you charge hell with a squirt gun.

[14:32] You’ll do whatever he wants you to do. [14:33] He says, here am I send me. [14:35] And God says, the mission I’m sending you on, understand I’m sending you to talk and tell of my kingdom to a people who will not hear. [14:43] Of people who will not understand. [14:45] Of people whose sin has blinded them, a people whose sin has made them deaf to me. [14:51] So understand that your mission in life is not about success and failure.

[14:57] It’s about God.

[14:59] It’s about obeying because of who he is. [15:02] It’s about obeying because of how powerful he is. [15:04] In spite of what the world looks like, God is still God and you are mine. [15:08] Serve me. [15:09] And Isaiah says, I’ll do it.

[15:13] Jesus, in a very real way, says to the disciples, I’m the total fulfillment of Isaiah.

[15:22] Because I stand before them. [15:25] God.

[15:27] I do God things in front of them. [15:32] I speak with authority that they even admit they don’t understand. [15:36] They’ve never heard anyone preach the word of God the way that I preach it. [15:39] I think Jesus is probably like, because I wrote it and the author’s perspective is pretty important.

[15:47] And I can’t help but imagine in the back of Jesus’ mind, he’s also thinking, I could literally die and rise again and they would not believe who I am.

[15:58] But he looks to them and he says, understand to you.

[16:03] To you. [16:05] It has been given, though. [16:08] To understand. [16:10] The kingdom. [16:12] To know the king. [16:15] To see me in all my glory.

[16:19] The apostles, the disciples at this point before Jesus rises and gives them his spirit, they get so much wrong. [16:26] They fumble. [16:28] They fail. [16:29] They’re disobedient. [16:31] But I want you to understand on that which is most significant, they don’t when Jesus looks to Peter. [16:37] And Peter’s a moron.

[16:41] We’ve got to know that.

[16:44] He says, who do you say that I am? [16:48] And even Peter in all of his utter foolishness, he looks and he says, you are the Messiah, the Son of God.

[16:57] Friends, you can miss everything else. [16:59] Do not miss that. [17:03] Do not miss what it is to know God. [17:06] Do not miss what it is to know the king because you are so blinded by the kingdom. [17:13] Number one this morning, by the way. [17:15] The kingdom of God is wrapped up in who Jesus is.

[17:20] The kingdom of God is wrapped up in. [17:23] Oftentimes we go straight past that because we do not want what he has because we think we’ve got something better. [17:32] Or we think we’re looking for something better.

[17:36] And Jesus is saying, do not be blind to what you need. [17:41] Because oftentimes we have no idea. [17:44] See Israel at that point, they thought they needed a commanding army general. [17:48] They thought they needed someone to help them run into Rome and sack it.

[17:55] Jesus is saying, I could do all of that, of course. [17:58] I could have stayed in heaven and done that. [18:01] But you’d miss me. [18:03] You’d miss the very kingdom that you actually need because God’s kingdom is not of this world. [18:08] God’s kingdom is greater than this world.

[18:13] In Mark chapter 4 verses 11 and 12, Jesus puts it this way. [18:16] Peter tells Mark what happened. [18:19] To you it’s been given the secret of the kingdom of God. [18:23] But for those outside, everything is in parables so that they indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand. [18:31] Lest they should turn and be forgiven. [18:33] What Jesus is saying is that to you it has been given to understand the kingdom of God.

[18:38] And do not miss out on what a great mercy that is of God.

[18:45] That’s like serious vibrate.

[18:51] Wow.

[18:54] Sorry.

[18:58] Do not miss it that your understanding is not because you’re smart. [19:04] See I think that’s why Jesus chose fishermen, publicans. [19:09] I think that’s why He did that. [19:10] Because He wants them to know it’s not that you’re smart. [19:12] It’s not that you’re studious. [19:14] It’s because God has taken the scales of sin off of your eyes.

[19:18] He’s taken your blindness away. [19:19] He’s opened your ears to hear. [19:21] He’s poured His grace upon you. [19:23] And to those who don’t understand, understand that it is because of God that you know. [19:28] It’s not because you’re better.

[19:31] It’s not because you should have any pride that wells up inside of you. [19:36] It’s not because you’re somehow more intellectual. [19:38] You’re somehow more crafty. [19:39] But oftentimes I think that we think that we figure God out because of those things.

[19:45] God says it’s because I’ve done it all for you.

[19:53] Do you trust Him?

[19:57] Is your faith in Him?

[20:00] If so, you will understand. [20:04] If not, then the truth is concealed from you. [20:08] You cannot know or desire the kingdom of God apart from Jesus. [20:15] So when Jesus is not the most beautiful thing to you, when His grace abundant is not the most powerful force in your life, [20:25] you are revealing that you have not seen the grace of God. [20:28] You have not tasted of His majesty.

[20:31] That’s what Jesus is saying. [20:34] When other messages and other voices and other hopes are more powerful to you,

[20:44] understand that you have ears, but you do not hear because sin is clouding you.

[20:56] Look at verse 18.

[21:00] It would have been funny to me if Jesus had just looked to the disciples when they’re like, [21:04] hey, I’m asking for a friend of a friend. [21:06] When Jesus looks at them and He’s like, to you it’s been given to understand the kingdom of God. [21:10] And then He just walks away. [21:12] They’re like, oh man, we’re in trouble because we don’t understand the kingdom of God. [21:18] But His mercy is greater than that.

[21:20] And He looks to them more and He says, hear then the parable of the sower.

[21:26] Have you ever had a moment in your life where maybe you’ve read the same verse 20 times, [21:34] maybe you’ve read the same book of the Bible, and it’s as if in a moment, [21:38] in a moment of reading, in a moment of understanding, it’s almost as if Jesus says, hear then.

[21:44] That which has been cloudy for so long in your life, Jesus says, hear then.

[21:51] You see, in this moment, Jesus gives them ears. [21:55] Because they didn’t have them. [21:57] Jesus says, hear it. [21:58] Now I’ll tell you. [21:59] Now I’ll reveal it to you. [22:01] What a great mercy.

[22:02] Do not lose the joy of that. [22:06] Do not lose the privilege of hear then in your life.

[22:11] Do not grow past being mystified when the Holy Spirit, as if He’s right there, [22:17] in which He is by the way, and He says to you, I’m going to make you understand in a way that you’ve never understood before. [22:23] Never lose that glory in your life, because when you lose that glory in your life, [22:28] you become self-dependent and your kingdom goes past the kingdom of God, and you search past God. [22:34] All searching must cease when you find Jesus, because you’ve found the one who is unsearchable.

[22:41] Instead of you finding Him, He finds you. [22:44] Instead of you understanding Him, He puts Himself inside of you, and He says, I’m going to give you understanding.

[22:53] Hear then the parable of the sower. [22:56] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, [23:01] the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. [23:06] And this is what was sown along the path. [23:10] So he’s going to break it down to us point by point. [23:13] So now he’s talking about the seed that was cast right beside the path.

[23:17] It’s that hard soil. [23:19] There’s an area right outside of my neighborhood where the sidewalk ends. [23:23] I guess the county ran out of money or just ran out of care, and so the sidewalk stopped before it actually got anywhere. [23:29] It makes no sense where it stops because there’s nothing there. [23:33] So the path goes on. [23:36] The path doesn’t stop, the sidewalk does.

[23:37] So what has happened along that grassy path is the grass has all died, [23:43] and now the soil is completely impacted to where it really for a while I thought it was the sidewalk [23:49] because it was the same color as the sidewalk. [23:51] It was the same texture as the sidewalk, and it wasn’t until I ran on it that I said, I’m not on the sidewalk anymore.

[23:58] And so what Jesus is saying is those paths that have been walked on so many times, [24:04] because the soil is as hard as concrete, you would need a pickaxe to get through that.

[24:10] Jesus is saying is no man in his right mind is going to sow some seed there, is he? [24:14] No, because what’s going to happen is the seed is just going to sit on top of the soil. [24:17] It’s never going to get down. [24:19] It’s just going to sit there, and the birds of the air, what do they do? [24:22] They come down and they eat all that bird seed. [24:24] That’s why we call it bird seed.

[24:26] It’s not because it grows birds.

[24:30] It’s because they eat it.

[24:38] Jesus says what this is, is this is when the gospel of my kingdom goes to people.

[24:46] They never understand. [24:48] They never hear it. [24:49] What Jesus is really saying in this moment is he’s giving them the central issue. [24:56] The central issue of this passage is that Jesus is either God or he is not. [25:02] And if you do not understand that he is God, you will never taste, you will never see, you will never know. [25:11] And he uses Satan in an interesting way here, because he’s telling them that the kingdom is a present reality,

[25:17] with a mission of future hope. [25:20] He’s saying the kingdom is here. [25:22] The seed is now. [25:24] You must have it in you. [25:25] You must know it. [25:26] It must be planted deep inside of you that Jesus is God.

[25:29] He is the king. [25:31] And when that seed goes on the soil that’s not prepared for it, guess what happens? [25:36] Satan comes and he takes that seed and he takes joy in the fact that you don’t understand the kingdom. [25:41] But it’s very easy for us to say, Satan, oh you jerk.

[25:47] When Jesus is not blaming Satan.

[25:51] Jesus is blaming you.

[25:55] Jesus is saying Satan comes and he takes it because it’s there and you did nothing with it. [25:59] It’s there and you took no joy in it. [26:03] It’s there and you did not accept it. [26:04] It’s there in the fact that Jesus is God did nothing to you. [26:08] It did not go down into your life. [26:10] It did not change you whatsoever.

[26:12] And what he’s saying is, do you understand the fact that I am not Satan’s God? [26:18] It doesn’t change the fact that I am God, but I’m not Satan’s God. [26:22] And when you do not believe in me, you have thrown your life to Satan.

[26:29] And it’s your fault.

[26:34] Don’t blame Satan for what you decided.

[26:37] Don’t blame God for what you missed out on. [26:41] The truth is right there. [26:43] It’s right in front of you. [26:44] Jesus is God. He is the King. [26:47] Jesus is stating that the kingdom is not something that you need to continue to search for. [26:51] It’s him and he’s there.

[26:54] Everything that Jesus did, fulfillment of prophecy, miracles, teaching with so much authority, [26:59] dying on the cross, rising from the dead, reveals that he is God.

[27:08] If you don’t trust that.

[27:11] The question is, what does that reveal about you?

[27:15] What does it reveal about you when you know that God has the power over death, yet you trust something more than God?

[27:23] When you know that God has the power to make the dead live, [27:27] yet you throw all of your trust, all of your hope in something that has nothing to do with God.

[27:35] What does that show about you? [27:37] When all of your happiness, all of your sadness is completely invested in things that have nothing to do with God, [27:46] nothing to do with his kingdom, if it was taken out of your life, it would cripple you, yet it has nothing to do with him.

[27:54] And Jesus is diagnosing, saying, what does that say about you? [27:58] It says that he’s not your God.

[28:02] That you don’t hear him. [28:04] You don’t see him.

[28:08] You say, surely if he rose from the dead, he did that. [28:14] He still did not believe. [28:18] God means to break through our sinful, hard hearts with the truth that Jesus is God. [28:25] That is the pivotal fact, and it changes everything. [28:30] Friends, if Jesus is not God, life is meaningless.

[28:38] If Jesus is not God, nothing matters. [28:41] If Jesus is not God, it’s over.

[28:45] That’s what Jesus means to say. [28:48] We’ve all gone the way of hell, if he’s not God. [28:53] But he is. [28:56] The only way for your life to have any real significance is if the reality that Jesus is God changes everything. [29:06] It changes the entire dynamic. [29:08] It changes your entire reality.

[29:10] It changes how you make your choices. [29:12] It changes how you make your decisions. [29:14] It changes how you raise your children. [29:16] It changes how you love your spouse. [29:18] It changes how you decide where you live. [29:20] How you decide what careers to take.

[29:22] How you decide what promotions to look at, what promotions not to look at. [29:25] It changes how you do everything in your life. [29:29] And if the fact that Jesus is God does not change one of those things, then he’s not God to you. [29:39] You are.

[29:43] The seed is cast along the path. [29:48] The birds, they snatch it.

[29:53] Look at verse 20.

[29:56] Jesus is hard, huh?

[30:00] As for what was sown on the rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. [30:10] Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. [30:16] And when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. [30:22] As for the one sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word. [30:26] But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

[30:36] Jesus in this part, he gives us two sides of the same coin. [30:40] That’s why I read those together. [30:43] Jesus wants us to understand that worldly success, number three this morning, can take you away from Jesus just as fast as trials can.

[30:57] Pain and gain, both can turn us to the same God.

[31:06] That’s the God of this world.

[31:10] To the one who if I just was not suffering, if I just didn’t lose this, or if I just didn’t have this pain, [31:20] or if I just didn’t have to go through this persecution, if I could just have that taken away, his God is this world. [31:30] Because he can’t imagine anything being worth it. [31:34] He can’t imagine anything being better than the easy life here.

[31:42] To the one who has gained success, riches, leisure, security, safety, barely any pain ever.

[31:57] The thought of losing that would cripple him. [32:04] His God is this world. [32:05] The ease of this world, this life. [32:10] See, it’s two sides of the same coin.

[32:14] The environments of your life play a huge role in trusting the gospel. [32:21] We have a problem.

[32:24] Our hurts and our pleasures are determining what we will and will not commit to. [32:31] Jesus wants to save you from both the pain and the gain of this world, determining your life. [32:40] Determining your joy. [32:42] Determining your decisions. [32:44] Determining what you will and will not do for him. [32:48] They both reveal that your kingdom is in this world, but the truth of God is that Jesus comes to redeem us from both of them.

[32:55] Jesus comes to give us hope. [32:57] The rocky ground wants all of the troubles of this world to go away. [33:01] When we understand that Jesus is simply being the solution to life’s problems, then we will face disappointment that we will not endure.

[33:11] He says that they receive it with joy. [33:13] They hear the gospel. [33:14] They say, no hell. [33:17] If you follow Jesus, it will make all your cares go away.

[33:23] It will make all your troubles better. [33:26] You say, that sounds pretty good. [33:30] By the way, that’s not the gospel.

[33:32] You say, I want that. [33:34] What he’s saying is that as soon as the troubles come and what Jesus is saying is they will come. [33:42] Coming.

[33:44] When he gives the story of the man who built his house on rocky ground and the man who built his house on the sand. [33:53] He wasn’t telling the man that built his house on rocky ground. [33:56] The storms weren’t coming. [33:59] He says, you build it on rocky ground because it is coming.

[34:07] Then he says something very significant to us. [34:10] I think this is a timely phrase. [34:12] That text, he says, persecution that arises on account of the word.

[34:21] Jesus is saying not only are troubles going to come because they will not only will suffering come because that’s what sin and the curse on this world has caused. [34:29] He’s saying that when you follow me, understand that you will be persecuted as Jesus was persecuted.

[34:36] Now we live in a time and a culture where we frankly haven’t endured much of that.

[34:43] But in one way, I want to prepare you because it will. [34:47] And it is.

[34:49] What Jesus is saying is that when Jesus is nothing more than your cosmic genie. [34:55] To make you happy when you’re sad.

[35:00] You’re going to be disappointed because hard times they’ll come and sometimes they will come because of Jesus.

[35:08] And how you stand firm in those moments of utter despair.

[35:13] Reveals what faith your kingdom is in. [35:16] A story about an old evangelist. [35:18] I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s a good story. [35:21] He was after a night of preaching. [35:23] He went to a diner with the pastor of the church and they came out of the diner. [35:27] It was in a section of Indiana that’s not necessarily the safest place.

[35:31] And a man pulls a gun on him and he says, give me all your money. [35:34] And he’s pointing the gun right at the evangelist’s big belly. [35:37] And he was a glutton. [35:38] He shouldn’t have been. [35:38] He should have repented.

[35:41] He probably shouldn’t have been eating in a diner late at night. [35:42] That’s not healthy. [35:43] But he says, give me all your money or I’ll blow your brains out. [35:46] Which is weird because he pointed at his belly. [35:49] But the man looks at him and says, son, are you threatening me with heaven?

[35:58] You might get that on the way home.

[36:04] Here’s what I want you to understand.

[36:08] Because of the greatness of Jesus Christ, you can lose everything in this world and you won’t lose him.

[36:14] You won’t lose the kingdom. [36:18] You won’t lose him. [36:20] That’s why he’s better. [36:24] Thorns also want to keep you. [36:28] See, thorns want to keep it all and sacrifice nothing.

[36:34] In Mark chapter four, Peter records it this way. [36:38] When he says, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things. [36:50] He adds that. [36:52] Enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful. [36:55] So you might be thinking, well, it’s a good thing that I don’t have any riches so they can’t choke it out. [37:01] That’s not Jesus’s point.

[37:04] Jesus’s point is you can have a great abundance of riches and they may not control your life. [37:10] And you could be the poorest person on the block and your desire for those riches are going to choke out the kingdom of God in your life.

[37:18] You say, what is it that you want more than anything in this world? [37:22] Is it money? [37:24] Is it the easy life? [37:25] Is it golf every Saturday and Sunday morning? [37:28] Is it no troubles? [37:30] Is it vacationing in the Hamptons?

[37:34] Is it that next purchase? [37:36] That next outfit? [37:38] That next pair of shoes? [37:39] That next car? [37:40] That next house? [37:41] What is it that you want more than anything?

[37:44] Is it have nothing to do with riches? [37:46] Is it your dream job? [37:49] Is it that spouse that you’re searching for?

[37:54] Is it that your child will finally make honor roll?

[38:00] You say, what will happen in your life is that that is this world pulling you down and saying success, success, success, success. [38:08] If you fail at anything, if you fail to have, if you fail to do, if you fail to work, then you’re nothing. [38:20] What Jesus is saying is that you’ve bought that and it will kill the kingdom in your life. [38:25] Those toys that are adding up in the garage, saying if you’re not careful, they will grow a stranglehold on your life to where you decide what you will and won’t do for the kingdom of God based on that stuff, based on that person, based on that hobby.

[38:54] What distracts you from allegiance to the things that Jesus has said you need to commit to? [39:02] You ever consider how many games we play with God?

[39:07] How there are so many things that Jesus says, do this. [39:11] I mean, it’s not even the stuff that theologians have struggled with for centuries. [39:15] It’s not something that we’ve got two different camps on where it’s like, well, no, I think he’s saying this, right? [39:19] I think it’s like everybody knows Jesus said to go tell, right? [39:22] I mean, he said, go make disciples. [39:24] There’s really no alternative as to what he could have meant.

[39:27] Disciples means followers. [39:28] I got to go make disciples. [39:30] I’ve got to obey him in all things. [39:32] I’ve got to be sexually pure. [39:34] I’ve got to flee from temptation. [39:36] I’ve got to build God’s church.

[39:38] He’s clear. [39:40] So it’s been abundantly clear on these many things. [39:43] Yet we begin to continue to make excuses. [39:47] Well, I can’t this week.

[39:51] I’ve got this other thing.

[39:54] What Jesus means to tell you in this text.

[39:58] If he wants you to take a really good inventory and saying, are those other things?

[40:04] God.

[40:06] He said, I would never say that. [40:09] You don’t have to say it to do it, friend.

[40:13] How you live your life determines what your God looks like.

[40:17] What will you say yes to? [40:19] That means you’re going to have to say no to something that will grow you towards the gospel. [40:24] Do you know that when you say yes to one thing, you say no to another thing?

[40:29] You do.

[40:32] When I said yes to being pastor at Village Church, I said no to all the no other churches that were begging me to be their pastors.

[40:40] Get that in a minute.

[40:43] When I said yes to my wife, I said no to every other woman on the planet. [40:48] Forever. [40:48] Frankly.

[40:51] When you say yes to one commitment, you say no to other commitments. [40:55] You do. [40:56] And so what you do is, is you believe a lie that you can say yes to everything and have it all.

[41:02] Jesus is not a have it all kind of God. [41:04] He says, you can have me.

[41:11] The parable is warning against the superficial hearing of the gospel. [41:16] Because real hearing of the gospel leads to obedience. [41:21] There are two different verbs used to describe sown seed. [41:25] In the first three, Jesus uses the seed that is sown and it’s called the heiress tense. [41:32] It is a past tense verb where he says the sower went out and he sowed seeds. [41:36] And the heiress tense is a past tense with no future implications.

[41:42] And that’s the one he uses in the first three. [41:44] In the fourth though, he uses the imperfect tense. [41:47] What the imperfect tense is, is it says that he sowed and he continued to sow. [41:54] See what Jesus means to say is that the one that fell on the hard path, the one that fell on the rocky soil, [42:01] and the one that fell among the thorns, none of those have the kingdom of God in their lives. [42:06] None of them.

[42:09] He’s saying, he sowed the seed, he preached the word. [42:12] They do not have it because God is no longer working in their lives. [42:18] The only one to whom he continues to work with is the fourth, soil. [42:24] The fourth then is where you want to go, frankly. [42:27] Look at verse 23. [42:29] As for what was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.

[42:34] He indeed bears fruit and yields. [42:37] In one case a hundredfold, in another case sixty, and another thirty.

[42:44] If Jesus is your God, your life matters.

[42:52] If Jesus is God, your life matters. [42:55] That means there are no insignificant moments. [42:58] There are no insignificant decisions. [43:00] There are no insignificant days. [43:02] There are no insignificant lives. [43:04] There are no insignificant children.

[43:06] There are no insignificant….. [43:07] There are no insignificant….. [43:09] There are no….. [43:10] There are….. [43:12] There are….. [43:12]

[43:12] [43:12] There are….. [43:12] There are….. [43:12] [43:12] [43:12]

[43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12]

[43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12]

[43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] [43:12] There are….. [43:12] There are…..

[43:14] Because He is the King over all of it. [43:18] Truly hearing the Gospel leads to obeying the Gospel. [43:22] The seed is being sown to the entire world but the health of the produce is what reveals [43:28] the validity of your life. [43:31] Jesus does not fail.

[43:35] Do you know that? [43:37] He doesn’t fail at anything. [43:40] Never has. [43:41] Never will. [43:43] Therefore, when He sows seed, He means to reap a harvest. [43:49] And He will.

[43:52] If you’re His.

[43:58] We must follow Jesus because He’s God. [44:02] This leads to a life of submission and allegiance. [44:05] His grace cleanses us and also changes us. [44:09] He fills us with God’s kingdom. [44:13] And so when you look for satisfaction in your life, when you look for significance, when [44:17] you look for meaning, when you look for hope, what Jesus means to tell you is it’s in Him.

[44:24] It’s nowhere else. [44:26] You can keep looking if you want to but you’re not going to find it. [44:30] Every decision you make and every action in your life reveals what kingdom you are [44:36] seeking in your life. [44:40] So I ask you this morning, what does your life reveal?

[44:48] Good soil is something that God gives us and then we steward it.

[44:56] Some of you are looking in your life and maybe you’ve looked throughout this whole time [45:00] and you’ve said, but I don’t I know I’m struggling over here. [45:04] I’m struggling over there. [45:05] I don’t want to suffer trials and that would take a lot away from me. [45:10] And I’ve got all these great things and I don’t want to sacrifice anything for the kingdom [45:13] of God.

[45:14] But surely, surely. [45:15] No, I’m the good soil because I never want to admit that I’m not the good soil. [45:20] But here’s the reality. [45:21] I want you to understand. [45:22] Do you think the hard hearted would diagnose their life correctly?

[45:32] If so, all of Israel would have repented when Jesus said that parable. [45:39] They did not.

[45:42] That’s why we need the truth of God’s word to break us.

[45:47] You say, well, following Jesus means that things in my life have to change, friends, [45:53] because all change is hard because it breaks the mold of your lifestyle.

[45:59] That is the message, the message that Jesus is giving to the crowd. [46:03] He’s telling them, if you don’t change.

[46:08] You don’t have the kingdom.

[46:14] He’s saying the change. [46:16] It’s worth it.

[46:19] So I just want to ask you in closing, is God bearing fruit in your life?

[46:28] Is there a desire for the kingdom of God above the kingdom of you?

[46:35] What kind of soil is being cultivated in your life? [46:37] Are you filling your life with just more thorns to choke you out?

[46:45] You’re not trusting God through the hard times as well as the good.

[46:52] Jesus came to break through everything.

[46:56] And to give us life.

[47:01] The beautiful thing about Jesus is that when he comes.

[47:06] The condition of your soil.

[47:09] Is somewhat insignificant. [47:10] To him. Because if your life is like that hard path.

[47:17] Jesus will take a pickaxe.

[47:21] And he’ll break through that ground.

[47:25] You say, well, I sure is full of rocks.

[47:30] Jesus dropped bulldozer right through those rocks. [47:33] Just a couple of sticks of dynamite down in there, break them all up. [47:35] And you say that would hurt. [47:36] Yeah, sometimes it does.

[47:40] You say there’s so many thorns. [47:44] So many weeds. [47:46] How can I sacrifice?

[47:51] Jesus will come down like the great gardener that he is.

[47:58] He’ll start tearing those weeds out.

[48:02] One by one.

[48:04] Take them out.

[48:07] You say, I can’t. [48:09] I can’t produce anything.

[48:13] I know. [48:15] But Jesus can.

[48:19] You see, Jesus doesn’t look and he said to produce a hundredfold, to produce [48:23] sixtyfold, to produce thirtyfold. [48:25] That’s all on you, buddy.

[48:29] No, Jesus finds us in our hopeless condition. [48:33] He finds us in our rebellion. [48:35] He finds us in our apathy and he fills us up with him and he produces the fruit [48:43] that he promised. [48:47] And he’ll do it in you.

[48:49] No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve got going on, Jesus has the power [48:55] over all of it. [48:57] You say, how can I know that? [48:58] Because he rose from the dead under his own power and nobody else does that. [49:02] That’s more power than frankly you’ll ever need.

[49:10] He is God.

[49:14] And he gives his life freely.

[49:20] To us.

[49:23] As a band comes up, I want us to understand this morning that that is better than [49:30] everything. [49:30] Verse twenty one said that our life must be rooted in God. [49:38] He says that our life, the root must go deep. [49:42] And what he’s saying, that deepness is that deepness is an absolute dependence on God [49:48] above everything else, above every other voice, above every other message, above everything.

[49:56] And you say.

[49:59] I don’t know if I’m worth it to him.

[50:04] Every week we look at what he did to assure us that we are.

[50:12] He died.

[50:15] Because you deserve to.

[50:19] You see, each and every one of us, we’ve sinned. [50:23] We’ve rebelled.

[50:25] We’ve forsaken the God who created us. [50:30] And we deserve to have the fiery wrath of God poured onto us for eternity.

[50:36] On the cross, the son of God, the one who spoke the world into existence, he bled. [50:42] He died. [50:44] He was beaten and bruised. [50:47] And ultimately, the very wrath of God that I deserve was poured onto him. [50:53] He who knew no sin became sin so that I can have the righteousness of God.

[51:02] The cup around the six stations in this room represents the shed blood of our God. [51:09] The bread represents his broken body beaten for you.

[51:17] You can’t do it on your own, friend.

[51:21] And if you’re a follower of Jesus this morning, these stations are open for you. [51:25] And what I want you to do today is I want you to come with an attitude of surrender.

[51:32] An attitude of submission.

[51:36] And a proclamation, God, use me.

[51:41] Use me. [51:42] When you’re ready, come.

[51:56] Amen.