The Sower and the Soil, Part 2a

Serve with me in your Bible, if you would, to Matthew Chapter 13 as we continue our study on the parable, the sower, and the soil. My favorite parable, not because it's the first one, but because it's my favorite one.

I don't know why it is. It just is. But we've been talking about these parables, and we've introduced them in the last couple of weeks, helping you to understand that Christ has begun a different kind of ministry. He is going to speak in parables, earthly stories. with a heavenly meaning to help us understand the truth of the kingdom of God. When Christ came as king, the people rejected him as that king. He came preaching the kingdom of God as at hand, and yet people did not understand his kingship.

They didn't want to be a part of this king's kingdom. Disciples would soon find out that there would be a number of people that would reject the kingdom message. So Christ in Matthew chapter 13 begins to outline to his disciples, exactly what's going to happen and why people are going to reject the truth why people are not going to respond to his kingship and while there will one day be a true literal kingdom upon the earth where Jesus Christ himself will reign from the throne of David there in the city of Jerusalem what he's going to reveal is what is called the mystery something not revealed in the Old Testament but concealed revealed now in the New Testament it's called the Church Age Christ is still the king and although he doesn't rule on an earthly throne, he rules in the hearts of those who have submitted to his kingship.

He's going to explain that by giving us a parable, several parables in Matthew chapter 13, to help us understand the kingdom age or the church age, that we would come to grips with how the king will now rule in the hearts of people who are committed to him, and that as he rules in our lives, people will understand the lordship of Jesus Christ and why we serve the king as we do. He begins with this parable in Matthew chapter 13. Behold the sower went out to sow and as he sowed some seas fell beside the road.

The birds came and ate them up and others fell upon the rocky places where they did not have much soil and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorers. and because they had no root, they withered away. Another fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. Another fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some hundredfold, some 60, and some 30. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Christ begins with this parable, specifically because there's a whole multitude of people on the shore.

He has gotten into a boat, and they have gathered around on the shore. and they are anticipating what the king is going to do next. And he's going to tell them a parable. And it's only going to be revealed to those who really truly are committed to Christ, those who care less. This is just going to be another story. But it's an earthly story, something they understand, something from their agrarian culture that will help them come to grips with the true facts that Christ wants to portray to them.

And so the disciples will then ask, Lord, why are you going to speak a parables? And he tells them why. And then he interprets this parable for his disciples. He says, there's a sower. I'm a sewer. Matthew 1337 tells us that Jesus Christ is a sower. There's a seed. The seed is called the Word of the Kingdom. Mark calls it the Word of God. So we automatically know that the sower is Christ and the seed is the Word of God. It's that living, abiding, word of God. that's powerful and that can penetrate to the depths of man's soul.

So the Bible already tells us who the sower is. The Bible tells us what the seed is. And Christ goes on to tell us then what the soil is. There's a roadside soil. There's a rocky soil. There's a thorny soil or weedy soil. And there's a good soil. He explains to us those kinds of soils because those soils are the condition of man's heart. You see, he wants us been to know at the very outset. said, that the reason people are rejecting the gospel is going to be right here in the parable. And that's good for you and me to know, right?

Because we're going to know why people don't respond to the message we give them. Because the seed that we throw out is going to land on four types of hearts. A cold heart, a careless heart, a crowded heart, or a clean heart, a converted heart. One of those four soils. We don't know. what man's heart condition is like. Only God does. But he's going to tell us why people don't respond. He's going to help the disciples understand this is why there's the whole multitude of people now.

A whole bunch of people now. But let me tell you something. At the end of the ministry, when it's all said and done, there's only going to be a handful left. Let's tell you why that's going to be. It's like when Christ said in Matthew, chapter 7, that narrows the way, straight as the gate, and few there be the finding. See, we had this notion that there's going to be thousands and millions and millions of people coming to Christ in the church age, and that's just not the way to happen. Only a few, Christ, only a few.

Oh, the great multitude of salvation happens during the tribulation. A great multitude the Bible says are saved at that time.

If you're with us in the study in the book of Revelation, you understand that. But during the church age, only a few. But there will be a lot that look like Christians. There'll be a lot of counterfeits out there. There'll be a lot of people going to church. There'll be a lot of people going to seminars. There'll be a lot of people going through crusades. There'll be a lot of people doing all kinds of things that they think are the right things. And they're going to look on the outside like Christians.

But in reality, they're not. The Christ is going to distinguish them for us by helping us understand the soil. The soil number one is the rocky soil.

We call that the cold heart. And Christ then begins to explain this cold heart down in verse number 18. Here 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. Talked about the roadside soil. It's hard, it's beaten down, it's that pathway in between the crops that people travel on, that the farmers use to walk on when they throw the seed.

It's a beaten down path. And Christ says, that's the cold heart. That's the roadside soil. That's the beaten down heart. That's the one that can't be penetrated because the seed just lands there and the birds come by and snatch it up. He tells us that the birds are representative of Satan who comes by and snatches the seed. He does that by blinding the hearts of men and women that they might not understand the truth of the gospel. They're cold to the truth. They're the people who say, leave me alone.

I don't want to hear what you have to say. say the book of proverbs defines them as people who despise wisdom who hate instruction who are stiff neck and hard-hearted who will not listen to the truth and in their heart they say Psalm 141 no doubt they don't want to have anything to do with them they don't care about you all they care about is their own god and that is their own selves and so satan effectively blinds their heart and mind to the truth and they they might come to church and they might even uh be a part of christmas services and Easter services and even agree that those are nice stories, great stories even, but their hearts are cold, hard, will not respond.

We've met those kind of people. You know them? I know them. They just don't care about Christianity. Those are the cold hearts, the roadside soil. Then there's the rocky soil. They're called the careless hearts. See, the cold heart lacks desire. The careless heart lacks death. It lacks death. These are the ones that look like Christians. In fact, the Bible says, verse number 20.

and the one on whom seed was sewn 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. That's the soil where that limestone, those of you who have been to Israel, know that it runs like two to three inches below the surface of the ground. And so when you throw the seed on it, it immediately springs up, it shows its head.

But when the sun beats down upon it and scorches it because it can't break through that bedrock, it has no root. It lacks moisture, as Luke says, then it withers and dies. And Christ says there's going to be a lot of people who hear the message.

And they're going to say, oh, yes, Jesus is what I need. Oh, yes, I want to give my life to Jesus. And they respond because they see that God is a God of love and they want to be loved. and maybe they do it emotionally with tears, and maybe they do it out of a semblance of sincerity. They walk the aisle. They say a prayer. And maybe you've been with those people and prayed with those people. But they come to Christ because they want Christ to do something for them. They come to Christ because there's a promise of a better marriage.

There's a promise of a better family. There's a promise of a better life. There's a promise of a better financial status. There's a promise of just everything getting better. And they're so happy now that they've given their life to Jesus. And they're looking for everything to change. And then all of a sudden the sun comes out. That is, as Christ says, affliction comes because of the word, and they fall away.

And why do they fall away? Because there's no firm room. There's nothing to dig the roots down deep into the ground to stand strong. You see, the true believer flourishes amidst affliction and persecution. The true believer is one who's able to dig his roots down deep into the word of God, deep into God himself and to stand strong because God allows him to stand strong and will not renege on the faith and will not turn away from His God amidst those things. But the false believer gives up on God.

The false believer turns away from God. Even though the Word of God promises all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Christ said over John 16 that if they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. in the world you're going to have tribulation but be of good cheer i have overcome the world he says in matthew five in the very first sermon he ever preached he closed out the beatitudes about how blessed you are when men revile you and speak all kinds of evil against you blessed are you when you are persecuted for my sake you're the blessed person that people make fun of you because of your faith why because you've stood for righteousness you haven't backed down that's the believer but the unbeliever they don't want to hear Versus like God hates everybody who does iniquity.

They don't want to hear verses like Psalm 7 in verse number 11 when it says, God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation every day. In other words, God is a God of wrath. Every day. God is never not wrath as God is never not love, as God is never not mercy, as God is never not good. He's all those things because that's his character, that's his nature. And then verse 12, If a man does not repent, he will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow and made it ready. If a man does not repent, he's in big trouble with God.

And then over in Psalm 11, verse number five, it says these words, The Lord test the righteous and the wicked. And the one who loves violence, his soul hates. Upon the wicked, he will rain snares, fire and brimstone, and burning wind will be the portion of their cup, for the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright will behold his face. Our Lord is righteous. That's what he loves. And all those who do iniquity, he hates. And so unless a man repents of his sin, falls on his face and begs God for mercy and says, Lord, I deserve nothing but hell.

I deserve damnation, but because of your mercy and grace at the cross. And the love that you demonstrated to me, I plead on the behalf of Calvary that you take away my sin and make me to demand the woman you want me to be. But I might follow you all the days of life. That person has deepened. That person will be able to stand strong when persecution and affliction come their way. As James says that the man is blessed when the fiery trial comes in life. Why? Because it produces his life. It produces perseverance in his life.

It produces proven character in his life. It produces a purified life. That's the blessed man. And the believer knows that. And he commits himself to God. We're going to pick up the third soil this evening.

And that is the thorny soil. The thorny soil. The roadside soil is the cold, the heart. They lack desire. The rocky soil is the careless heart. They lack desire. They lack depth. And now you have the thorny soil. That's the crowded heart. They lack dedication. What Christ says about the weedy soil or the thorny soil.

Matthew chapter 13, verse number 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 that a seatfulness of riches, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. This is the crowdy heart, crowded heart. This is the one who, as the text says, has all kinds of worries. It's a word that means distracted. It's a word that means divided. And they are distracted or divided by this world or by this age. Why? Because of the deceitfulness of riches.

Riches has deceived them. And we talked about the thorny soil. And when the sewer goes out to throw the seed and it falls on what it looks like rich, lush, soil, as that weed is already there and that seed falls on the ground where that weed is already there, that weed is very common to that ground. And when they both begin to spring up together, the weed wins, always wins. It chokes out. the seed because the seed is foreign to that environment where the weed is natural to that environment and the weed chokes out that seed and it receives the nutrients from the from the rain and the sun and the weed springs up because it chokes out that good seed and that's the person whose heart is crowded because of this deceitfulness of riches and because of the distractions from the world the thorns choke out the word of God.

That's why Paul would say over in 1 Timothy 6, verse number 9, these words, but those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pain. the deceitfulness of riches, the desire for the world. They're deceitful because you can't take them with you. That's why Christel Luke chapter 12, verse number 15.

These words, man's life does not consist in the abundance of things in which he possesses. For what shall a man give in exchange for a soul? You can gain the whole world. but lose your soul. And we're a society committed to things, aren't we? More things. More something. There's more we got to have. And these kind of people, they hear the Word of God, and it's a great story. But they want to have Jesus alongside of what they already possess. They don't want to give up anything to follow Jesus. They want to keep on.

on doing what they've always done. These are the kind of people who come to Christ when they hear words like, listen, you need to believe in Jesus. Just believe in Jesus. You say, but, but, but, but I like what I'm doing. And the person presenting God says, that's okay.

You can keep doing that. Just believe. I can just believe in Jesus. The Bible says, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

So if you believe in Jesus, you can just keep on doing what you want to just believe in Jesus. A lot of people present the gospel that way. I was a part of a church, believe it or not, that preached the gospel that way. Unbelievable. I had a conversation with the chairman of that board one day about believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And I asked him, I said, if I'm a prostitute and you come to me and you say believe in Jesus, and I say to you, you, do I have to give up my lifestyle when I believe in Jesus?

What will you tell him? You know what he said? You said, no? No, I just got to believe. I said, okay, let me rephrase the question.

Let's say I'm a hitman for the mafia. And I murder people for money. And you come to me and say, believe in Jesus. Can I still murder people and believe in Jesus? He kind of shook and said, well, you know, he kind of fumbled around a little. a bit. I said, you know, it's true you've got to believe, but the Bible says that the demons believe in Jesus.

The demons are the most orthodox beings I know. They believe in the Trinity. They believe in the on the presence of God. They believe in the wrath of God. Some of them have already experienced the wrath of God. They believe more about God. They believe more about God. They most Christians I know about God. But they're not going to heaven. They're not going to be regenerated. Demons believe, and yet they tremble. There are many Christians who believe, but never tremble. Never tremble. Many professing Christians who believe, but never tremble.

Because of the deceitfulness of riches, Because of the desire for other things, the Bible says they become unfruitful.

They become just like they were before. Just like they were before. The desire for sinful things took priority. That's what Christ said in Matthew 624. You can't serve two masters. You only serve one. Either God or money. But you can't serve God and money. Can't do it. Only one. And God's the man who serve only him. Very important. That's why Christ said, love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life. Why? They're all passing away.

They're not of the Father. They're of the world. Don't love the world. James said it this way. If you love the world, you're an enemy of God. An enemy of God, not a friend of God. An enemy of God if you love the world. Remember the rich young ruler? You know that story over in the book of Mark, 10th chapter. And as he was studying out, verse number 17, on a journey a man and ran up to him and knelt before him and began asking him good teacher what shall i do to inherit eternal life and jesus said to him why do you call me good no one is good except god alone you know the commandments do not murder do not commit adultery do not steal do not bear false witness do not defraud honor your father and mother and he said to him teacher i've kept all these things from my youth up i've done that i'm done that what must i do you do that what must i do to an heir to an heir to turn of life good teacher i've done that that means i'm going i can do all those things so he thought god and looking at him jesus felt love for him said to him one thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor you should have treasure in heaven come and follow me but that those words his face fell and he went away grieve for he was one who owned much property one thing you know what it is one thing you lack is one thing you lack is a desire, a dedication to commit your life to owning me.

So prove that by going to sell all you have. He wasn't going to do that because of the deceitfulness of riches had choked out the seed, the good seed of the Word of God. And that was more important to him than anything else. There are many people who on the outside, they might look why they love Christ. There are people that go to Christ's community. They hate to say it, but they do. and on the outside that they look like they love Jesus. They do. But the deceitfulness of riches choked out the world.

J.C. Ryle says it this way. We may listen to a sermon and approve of every word it contains and yet get no benefit from it because of the absorbing influence of this world. Our hearts like the thorny ground in verse number seven may be choked with a rank crop of cares, pleasures, and worldly plans. We may really like the gospel and wish to obey it. and yet insensibly give it no chance of bearing fruit by allowing other things to fill a place in our affection until they occupy our whole hearts. Alas, there are many such hearers.

They know the truth well. They hope one day to be committed Christians, but they never come to the point of giving up all for Christ's sake. They never make up their minds to seek first his kingdom, and so they end up dying.

they just think that the world will give them more so they go the way of the world. It's important to note, important to note, that the first free soiled, cold heart, careless heart, the crowded heart, all lack something.

See, salvation is more than just listening to the Word of God. Salvation is more than just a quick, emotional response to the Word of God. Salvation is even more than the cultivation of the Word of God one's lot you see one of the big mistakes that we have is just because the the the seed sprouts and lifts its head above the ground we think that that's a Christian but that's not true because no farmer in Israel would ever say that was a true plan it wouldn't only time will tell whether that head will spring up and produce it and if it does it's true if it doesn't it's not true and only time will tell that's great Thank you.