1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,360 We begin a new series today 2 00:00:02,360 –> 00:00:05,320 that God willing will run for the next four weeks. 3 00:00:05,320 –> 00:00:07,500 The series is called Ministry Matters, 4 00:00:07,500 –> 00:00:11,200 Sustaining a Lifetime of Service. 5 00:00:11,200 –> 00:00:16,200 And this is a series for those who love Jesus Christ. 6 00:00:16,200 –> 00:00:19,420 That is God’s Grace has been at work in your life. 7 00:00:19,420 –> 00:00:21,760 The Holy Spirit has brought you to see 8 00:00:21,760 –> 00:00:24,600 your own need, your own sin. 9 00:00:24,600 –> 00:00:26,639 You’ve come to Christ in repentance. 10 00:00:26,639 –> 00:00:28,600 You’re looking to him in faith. 11 00:00:28,879 –> 00:00:30,879 You know that in him you are forgiven, 12 00:00:30,879 –> 00:00:34,040 that by him you’re reconciled to the Father. 13 00:00:34,040 –> 00:00:35,480 That through him you’re adopted 14 00:00:35,480 –> 00:00:38,080 into the family of God and with him 15 00:00:38,080 –> 00:00:41,439 you have an everlasting and eternal inheritance 16 00:00:41,439 –> 00:00:44,080 that is kept in heaven for you. 17 00:00:44,080 –> 00:00:46,680 Jesus Christ has captured your mind, 18 00:00:46,680 –> 00:00:50,040 he’s won your heart, he’s realigned your will, 19 00:00:50,040 –> 00:00:52,320 you love him the great desire of your life 20 00:00:52,320 –> 00:00:54,639 is to serve him and to please him 21 00:00:54,639 –> 00:00:57,459 to be as useful as you possibly can be to him 22 00:00:57,480 –> 00:00:58,779 for as long as he gives you 23 00:00:58,779 –> 00:01:02,180 during your short sojourn in this world. 24 00:01:02,180 –> 00:01:05,919 That is of course what it means to be a Christian. 25 00:01:06,820 –> 00:01:10,300 Now Jesus said this, John 15 verse eight. 26 00:01:10,300 –> 00:01:15,300 By this is my Father glorified 27 00:01:15,320 –> 00:01:18,620 that you bear much fruit 28 00:01:18,620 –> 00:01:23,580 and so prove to be my disciples. 29 00:01:23,599 –> 00:01:27,199 A very striking word of Jesus. 30 00:01:27,199 –> 00:01:30,820 That the evidence that a person really is a disciple, 31 00:01:30,820 –> 00:01:35,680 the evidence that a person really belongs to the Lord 32 00:01:35,680 –> 00:01:39,760 is that you bear fruit, that’s the evidence of it. 33 00:01:39,760 –> 00:01:42,519 Not simply saying that you’re a Christian. 34 00:01:42,519 –> 00:01:46,000 By this is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit. 35 00:01:46,000 –> 00:01:51,000 That’s the way that you prove to be my disciples. 36 00:01:51,400 –> 00:01:56,480 Now we’re asking the questions over this four week series 37 00:01:56,480 –> 00:01:58,180 how is that possible? 38 00:01:58,180 –> 00:02:02,180 How can you bear fruit that proves 39 00:02:02,180 –> 00:02:05,739 that you are a disciple of Jesus Christianity 40 00:02:05,739 –> 00:02:07,320 and how can you go on doing this 41 00:02:07,320 –> 00:02:09,199 throughout an entire lifetime? 42 00:02:10,080 –> 00:02:13,339 How can you be a fruit bearing Christian 43 00:02:13,339 –> 00:02:17,380 year after year after year after year after year 44 00:02:17,380 –> 00:02:20,300 and so glorify the Father and prove 45 00:02:20,300 –> 00:02:24,520 that you are indeed a disciple of the Lord, Jesus Christ. 46 00:02:24,520 –> 00:02:26,160 And to open up this theme, 47 00:02:26,160 –> 00:02:28,500 we are going to the parables of Jesus 48 00:02:28,500 –> 00:02:31,699 that are gathered together for us in Matthew Chapter 13 49 00:02:31,699 –> 00:02:33,960 that was read a few moments ago 50 00:02:33,960 –> 00:02:36,380 and we begin today with the parable of the sower 51 00:02:36,380 –> 00:02:40,419 and so I do invite you to open your Bible there. 52 00:02:40,419 –> 00:02:44,000 Often this parable is preached or taught 53 00:02:44,000 –> 00:02:46,380 from the perspective of the soils. 54 00:02:46,380 –> 00:02:48,600 I’ve heard it said with some reason 55 00:02:48,600 –> 00:02:52,059 that we should refer to this as the parable of the soils 56 00:02:52,059 –> 00:02:54,259 because the four soils are different 57 00:02:54,259 –> 00:02:59,259 in the kind of effect that the Word of God has in them. 58 00:02:59,660 –> 00:03:01,839 But it does strike me as significant 59 00:03:01,839 –> 00:03:04,860 that it is known as the parable of the sower. 60 00:03:06,000 –> 00:03:08,119 And one reason for that, of course, 61 00:03:08,119 –> 00:03:09,759 is that that’s where Jesus begins. 62 00:03:09,759 –> 00:03:14,759 Verse three, a sower went out to sow, and he sowed. 63 00:03:15,479 –> 00:03:18,979 So I want us to look today at this story 64 00:03:18,979 –> 00:03:21,699 from the perspective of the sower. 65 00:03:22,759 –> 00:03:26,940 I want to speak to sowers today. 66 00:03:26,940 –> 00:03:30,419 I want to speak to every person 67 00:03:30,419 –> 00:03:32,839 who would like to plant the Word of God 68 00:03:32,839 –> 00:03:36,440 in the lives of another person, a young person. 69 00:03:36,440 –> 00:03:38,880 You’d like to plant or sow the Word of God 70 00:03:38,880 –> 00:03:42,440 in the lives of young people, friends, 71 00:03:42,440 –> 00:03:47,199 family, children, grandchildren, 72 00:03:48,080 –> 00:03:49,740 you’d like to sow the Word in the lives 73 00:03:49,740 –> 00:03:52,800 of the un-churched, the unreached, 74 00:03:52,800 –> 00:03:56,740 the urban poor, the suburban rich, 75 00:03:56,740 –> 00:03:59,600 any other category you want to add to that list. 76 00:03:59,600 –> 00:04:01,279 You want to be a sower. 77 00:04:02,320 –> 00:04:05,399 Well, this message is for you 78 00:04:05,399 –> 00:04:07,979 because this story that Jesus tells 79 00:04:08,000 –> 00:04:12,539 is about what happens when the word of God is sown. 80 00:04:13,940 –> 00:04:18,019 Jesus is telling us what to expect 81 00:04:18,019 –> 00:04:22,500 when we engage in the ministry of the Word 82 00:04:22,500 –> 00:04:24,179 and particularly he is telling us 83 00:04:24,179 –> 00:04:26,940 that we must not be unduly surprised 84 00:04:26,940 –> 00:04:29,820 or discouraged when people respond 85 00:04:29,820 –> 00:04:34,380 in different ways to the word of God. 86 00:04:34,380 –> 00:04:37,660 Now, this issue of expectations 87 00:04:37,660 –> 00:04:42,100 is crucial to sustaining a lifetime of ministry. 88 00:04:42,100 –> 00:04:45,220 If you want to be someone who proves that you’re a disciple 89 00:04:45,220 –> 00:04:48,320 going on bearing fruit year, after year, after year 90 00:04:48,320 –> 00:04:49,820 this is a very important issue 91 00:04:49,820 –> 00:04:52,899 and that is why Jesus addresses it here. 92 00:04:54,420 –> 00:04:57,779 Some years ago I saw a survey 93 00:04:57,779 –> 00:05:00,619 that had been taken of pastors, 94 00:05:00,619 –> 00:05:03,920 that is those who had entered vocational ministry 95 00:05:03,920 –> 00:05:08,619 and then some years later had left that work, 96 00:05:08,619 –> 00:05:12,440 and of the various reasons that were given in the survey 97 00:05:12,440 –> 00:05:15,320 the number one reason that pastors 98 00:05:15,320 –> 00:05:17,440 who had left the ministry gave 99 00:05:17,440 –> 00:05:21,700 for their decision to leave that vocation was, 100 00:05:21,700 –> 00:05:26,600 it wasn’t what I had expected. 101 00:05:27,579 –> 00:05:29,720 Now, just think about this. 102 00:05:29,779 –> 00:05:33,880 Here are people who have invested thousands of dollars 103 00:05:33,880 –> 00:05:36,480 and years of their lives in training 104 00:05:36,480 –> 00:05:38,260 for a particular vocation. 105 00:05:39,440 –> 00:05:43,720 They then enter that vocation but have an expectation 106 00:05:43,720 –> 00:05:48,720 that does not align with the reality that they experience. 107 00:05:49,179 –> 00:05:51,519 So try and picture in your mind with me for a moment 108 00:05:51,519 –> 00:05:56,179 a young pastor, and he’s committed to the word of God, 109 00:05:56,179 –> 00:06:00,000 and he’s fired up about preaching and about discipling, 110 00:06:00,000 –> 00:06:02,720 and he has a plan for ministry, and he has a vision 111 00:06:02,720 –> 00:06:05,760 for a church that is going to be on fire for the Lord 112 00:06:05,760 –> 00:06:09,079 and a community that is gonna be transformed by the gospel. 113 00:06:10,399 –> 00:06:14,079 And a congregation invites him to serve as their pastor, 114 00:06:14,079 –> 00:06:17,179 and he gives himself to this work. 115 00:06:17,179 –> 00:06:21,160 And he does this faithfully for 10 years. 116 00:06:21,160 –> 00:06:23,440 And what is the result? 117 00:06:23,700 –> 00:06:26,320 The answer, various. 118 00:06:26,320 –> 00:06:28,359 That’s it in a single word. 119 00:06:28,359 –> 00:06:31,200 The result is various. 120 00:06:31,200 –> 00:06:33,160 Some people have flourished, 121 00:06:34,040 –> 00:06:35,820 but others have hardly changed at all 122 00:06:35,820 –> 00:06:39,480 and to all observable reality are simply 123 00:06:39,480 –> 00:06:42,299 older versions of what they were before. 124 00:06:43,140 –> 00:06:45,079 And after a while, this gets to him 125 00:06:45,079 –> 00:06:46,799 and the pastor begins to wonder 126 00:06:46,799 –> 00:06:50,700 if his work is really worth it. 127 00:06:51,640 –> 00:06:53,299 Or would I expect it? 128 00:06:55,160 –> 00:06:57,679 Now, let me take that from the world of pastors 129 00:06:57,679 –> 00:06:59,779 and try and bring it more closely 130 00:06:59,779 –> 00:07:03,920 to the experience that many of you will have 131 00:07:03,920 –> 00:07:05,660 in regards to the different ways 132 00:07:05,660 –> 00:07:07,700 in which we are involved in ministering, 133 00:07:07,700 –> 00:07:09,720 sowing the Word of God. 134 00:07:09,720 –> 00:07:11,739 You step up to lead a life group 135 00:07:12,820 –> 00:07:15,179 or you commit to being a teacher of children 136 00:07:15,179 –> 00:07:17,920 or to leading a group of young people, 137 00:07:17,920 –> 00:07:20,480 and when you do this, you have a vision. 138 00:07:20,500 –> 00:07:21,820 A vision for a group of people 139 00:07:21,820 –> 00:07:22,980 who are going to share openly, 140 00:07:22,980 –> 00:07:24,420 hold one another accountable, 141 00:07:24,420 –> 00:07:26,660 and thrive together through an immersion 142 00:07:26,660 –> 00:07:28,239 in the Word of God. 143 00:07:29,200 –> 00:07:32,760 But six months into this, here’s what you discover. 144 00:07:32,760 –> 00:07:35,399 That some in the group that has been trusted to you 145 00:07:35,399 –> 00:07:37,940 are more committed than others. 146 00:07:37,940 –> 00:07:39,859 A few always seem to be engaged, 147 00:07:39,859 –> 00:07:42,399 but one or two seem fairly disconnected. 148 00:07:43,459 –> 00:07:45,040 Do you begin to wonder to yourself, 149 00:07:45,040 –> 00:07:47,500 now what am I doing wrong? 150 00:07:47,500 –> 00:07:49,640 It’s not what I expected. 151 00:07:51,200 –> 00:07:54,160 Or bring it even closer to home, 152 00:07:54,160 –> 00:07:56,700 into the realm of family. 153 00:07:56,700 –> 00:07:59,640 You bring children into the world, 154 00:07:59,640 –> 00:08:02,100 and their arrival brings you great joy 155 00:08:02,100 –> 00:08:04,760 and you have great expectations. 156 00:08:05,720 –> 00:08:07,459 And because you are a Christian couple, 157 00:08:07,459 –> 00:08:10,000 you determine that you will sow the Word of God 158 00:08:10,000 –> 00:08:11,600 in the lives of these precious children 159 00:08:11,600 –> 00:08:13,579 that God has entrusted to you. 160 00:08:13,579 –> 00:08:16,179 And so early on, you establish prayer, 161 00:08:16,179 –> 00:08:18,359 and you establish a pattern of bible reading 162 00:08:18,359 –> 00:08:20,359 in your own home. 163 00:08:21,200 –> 00:08:24,119 And as these children grow, and your family grows, 164 00:08:24,119 –> 00:08:27,640 you discover that all of your children 165 00:08:27,640 –> 00:08:30,779 are equally responsive, right? 166 00:08:30,779 –> 00:08:31,600 No, wrong! 167 00:08:33,219 –> 00:08:35,359 They are not equally responsive, 168 00:08:35,359 –> 00:08:37,119 and that’s the thing that very, very quickly 169 00:08:37,119 –> 00:08:39,020 becomes evident. 170 00:08:39,020 –> 00:08:42,340 One of your children drinks it in, 171 00:08:42,340 –> 00:08:45,780 but another has very little interest. 172 00:08:45,780 –> 00:08:48,919 And now as a parent you become concerned. 173 00:08:48,960 –> 00:08:50,179 And you say, well my son, 174 00:08:50,179 –> 00:08:52,400 he seems disconnected from the Word of God. 175 00:08:52,400 –> 00:08:53,799 He does not relate to it. 176 00:08:53,799 –> 00:08:56,219 He has no interest in it. 177 00:08:56,219 –> 00:08:57,539 What am I to do? 178 00:08:59,119 –> 00:09:00,380 My friends, you will see immediately 179 00:09:00,380 –> 00:09:02,359 that these are the real issues 180 00:09:02,359 –> 00:09:04,099 of life and ministry. 181 00:09:05,299 –> 00:09:06,780 And I want you to see today 182 00:09:06,780 –> 00:09:09,679 that they are precisely what our Lord Jesus 183 00:09:09,679 –> 00:09:13,179 speaks about in the Parable of the Sower. 184 00:09:14,559 –> 00:09:17,380 And we desperately need to hear 185 00:09:17,380 –> 00:09:19,619 what he says to us, 186 00:09:19,619 –> 00:09:21,460 because he is teaching us 187 00:09:21,460 –> 00:09:23,679 with regards to what to expect 188 00:09:23,679 –> 00:09:25,820 as we engage whether it be in the home, 189 00:09:25,820 –> 00:09:26,960 whether it be in the church, 190 00:09:26,960 –> 00:09:28,919 whether it be on some broader platform 191 00:09:28,919 –> 00:09:30,559 of ministry or of mission. 192 00:09:30,559 –> 00:09:32,080 What to expect as we engage 193 00:09:32,080 –> 00:09:34,119 in the ministry of the Word 194 00:09:34,119 –> 00:09:37,159 and what he makes clear to us in this story 195 00:09:37,159 –> 00:09:40,179 is that it will have different effects 196 00:09:40,179 –> 00:09:43,020 in the lives of different people. 197 00:09:44,400 –> 00:09:46,020 I hope you have your Bible open in front of you. 198 00:09:46,020 –> 00:09:47,479 Here what Jesus is saying 199 00:09:47,479 –> 00:09:49,359 and receive it into your own life today. 200 00:09:49,359 –> 00:09:50,979 Here’s what you should expect 201 00:09:50,979 –> 00:09:52,760 as a sower of the Word. 202 00:09:52,760 –> 00:09:54,000 You should expect that 203 00:09:54,000 –> 00:09:56,039 some people who hear the Word 204 00:09:56,039 –> 00:09:58,119 will be unresponsive. 205 00:09:58,119 –> 00:10:00,340 That’s what he’s telling us. 206 00:10:00,340 –> 00:10:01,780 Verse 19. 207 00:10:01,780 –> 00:10:04,580 When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom 208 00:10:04,580 –> 00:10:07,840 and does not understand it, 209 00:10:07,840 –> 00:10:09,080 the evil one comes in 210 00:10:09,080 –> 00:10:12,640 and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. 211 00:10:12,640 –> 00:10:17,700 This is what was sown along the path. 212 00:10:17,700 –> 00:10:19,580 Now if you are a sower, 213 00:10:19,580 –> 00:10:22,059 whether more privately or more publicly 214 00:10:22,059 –> 00:10:23,719 you know how hard and discouraging 215 00:10:23,719 –> 00:10:25,659 this can be. 216 00:10:25,659 –> 00:10:28,559 You try to teach the Word of God. 217 00:10:28,559 –> 00:10:30,400 You break it down as simply 218 00:10:30,400 –> 00:10:33,559 as you possibly can. 219 00:10:33,559 –> 00:10:35,479 But here your son, or your daughter, 220 00:10:35,479 –> 00:10:36,960 or a member of your small group 221 00:10:36,960 –> 00:10:40,460 or whatever just doesn’t get it. 222 00:10:40,460 –> 00:10:42,159 Nothing about what you say, 223 00:10:42,159 –> 00:10:44,840 however hard you try to communicate 224 00:10:44,840 –> 00:10:46,719 it as creatively as possible, 225 00:10:46,719 –> 00:10:48,859 nothing about it really interests them. 226 00:10:48,859 –> 00:10:52,460 He hear’s it with a yawn. 227 00:10:52,460 –> 00:10:54,659 She does not see how what you are saying 228 00:10:54,659 –> 00:10:58,599 really connects at all with her life. 229 00:10:58,599 –> 00:11:02,919 And when this happens you need to remember 230 00:11:02,919 –> 00:11:04,780 as a sower of the Word that this too 231 00:11:04,780 –> 00:11:06,960 happened in the ministry of Jesus. 232 00:11:06,960 –> 00:11:10,179 That’s the whole point of this parable. 233 00:11:10,260 –> 00:11:13,280 Jesus is on a boat, and he was just sitting by the lake. 234 00:11:13,280 –> 00:11:14,280 And then all these people show up, 235 00:11:14,280 –> 00:11:16,900 and so he gets on the boat a few feet out from the lake 236 00:11:16,900 –> 00:11:18,780 he’s looking back into the crowd. 237 00:11:18,780 –> 00:11:20,520 One commentator says it’s as if 238 00:11:20,520 –> 00:11:25,500 the Lord Jesus sees in the crowd the different faces. 239 00:11:26,820 –> 00:11:30,460 And because he knows the heart of all people 240 00:11:30,460 –> 00:11:31,859 he’s able to do what we can’t, 241 00:11:31,859 –> 00:11:35,260 we can’t always read the heart from the face, 242 00:11:35,260 –> 00:11:37,900 but Jesus can. 243 00:11:37,900 –> 00:11:39,619 And he sees this unresponsiveness 244 00:11:39,840 –> 00:11:41,239 that’s right on the face of people 245 00:11:41,239 –> 00:11:42,960 who are there listening to him. 246 00:11:44,340 –> 00:11:46,539 And he’s telling us in this parable 247 00:11:46,539 –> 00:11:50,760 not to be surprised, not to be unduly discouraged. 248 00:11:50,760 –> 00:11:54,900 When people that you love, people that you pray for, 249 00:11:56,919 –> 00:12:00,219 though they hear the words, really have no interest in it 250 00:12:00,219 –> 00:12:03,940 or understanding of it, that’s what he’s saying. 251 00:12:03,940 –> 00:12:05,260 And you do need to remember, 252 00:12:05,260 –> 00:12:07,000 and I say this for your encouragement, 253 00:12:07,000 –> 00:12:09,960 so that you will not be unduly discouraged, 254 00:12:09,960 –> 00:12:14,900 you cannot be a better teacher than Jesus was. 255 00:12:14,900 –> 00:12:17,200 No one ever taught more simply, more clearly, 256 00:12:17,200 –> 00:12:19,679 more compellingly, than our Lord Jesus Christ. 257 00:12:19,679 –> 00:12:22,559 Look at his masterful teaching in John’s gospel 258 00:12:22,559 –> 00:12:25,900 in chapter 10, where he deploys the creative 259 00:12:25,900 –> 00:12:28,859 and visual imagery of the shepherd and the sheep, 260 00:12:28,859 –> 00:12:33,440 I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. 261 00:12:33,440 –> 00:12:36,119 How could you be clearer and more compelling 262 00:12:36,200 –> 00:12:38,200 in the presentation of truth than that? 263 00:12:38,200 –> 00:12:41,000 And at that point, John records this figurative speech 264 00:12:41,000 –> 00:12:44,359 Jesus used with them but they did not understand 265 00:12:44,359 –> 00:12:45,640 what he was saying. 266 00:12:48,039 –> 00:12:50,179 Well, if that was the experience of Jesus, 267 00:12:50,179 –> 00:12:51,559 it’s certainly gonna be the experience 268 00:12:51,559 –> 00:12:53,619 of a Sunday school teacher downstairs this morning, 269 00:12:53,619 –> 00:12:54,440 isn’t it? 270 00:12:55,900 –> 00:12:57,520 However well they’re prepared, 271 00:12:58,539 –> 00:13:00,820 however simply they present the truth. 272 00:13:02,039 –> 00:13:03,719 If that was the experience of Jesus, 273 00:13:03,719 –> 00:13:05,580 it is surely going to be the experience 274 00:13:05,580 –> 00:13:09,280 of parents, of pastors, and of church planters 275 00:13:09,280 –> 00:13:11,859 and of cross-cultural missionaries 276 00:13:11,859 –> 00:13:13,859 and if we don’t know that that will be part 277 00:13:13,859 –> 00:13:16,479 of our experience, we will become unduly discouraged 278 00:13:16,479 –> 00:13:17,640 and we will give up. 279 00:13:19,320 –> 00:13:21,580 That’s why Jesus is speaking to us about expectations, 280 00:13:21,580 –> 00:13:23,479 you’ve gotta know this is gonna happen. 281 00:13:24,960 –> 00:13:28,659 Second, he speaks with regards to another response 282 00:13:28,659 –> 00:13:31,419 that will happen, another experience that will come 283 00:13:31,419 –> 00:13:33,179 to the sower of the word. 284 00:13:34,179 –> 00:13:37,780 There will secondly be people who are enthusiastic 285 00:13:37,780 –> 00:13:39,820 and here is a person who hears the word 286 00:13:39,820 –> 00:13:42,880 and receives it, verse 20, as for what was sown 287 00:13:42,880 –> 00:13:47,580 on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word 288 00:13:48,599 –> 00:13:52,880 and immediately receives it 289 00:13:53,940 –> 00:13:55,299 with joy. 290 00:13:56,799 –> 00:13:58,000 Now you pause there and you think, 291 00:13:58,000 –> 00:14:00,580 oh this is fantastic, this is why we’re in ministry, 292 00:14:00,580 –> 00:14:03,539 this is what the work of the gospel is all about. 293 00:14:03,580 –> 00:14:06,700 Here’s someone who couldn’t be more different it seems 294 00:14:06,700 –> 00:14:09,400 from the first and unresponsive person, 295 00:14:09,400 –> 00:14:11,780 here’s someone who early on 296 00:14:11,780 –> 00:14:13,359 as you launch out into ministry 297 00:14:13,359 –> 00:14:17,419 just says this is what I need, this is for me 298 00:14:18,400 –> 00:14:20,500 and they receive the word, they receive it with joy, 299 00:14:20,500 –> 00:14:24,500 they receive it very quickly, immediately 300 00:14:26,780 –> 00:14:30,059 but notice what happens, this joyful receiving 301 00:14:30,059 –> 00:14:32,380 of the word that at first seems so encouraging 302 00:14:32,440 –> 00:14:36,280 and so wonderful, in this person does not last. 303 00:14:37,219 –> 00:14:42,219 Trouble comes and the person who once professed faith 304 00:14:42,239 –> 00:14:46,299 so brightly falls away 305 00:14:47,820 –> 00:14:49,159 and I know from my own experience, 306 00:14:49,159 –> 00:14:50,739 I’m sure many of you do from yours 307 00:14:50,739 –> 00:14:53,020 that this to someone who’s involved 308 00:14:53,020 –> 00:14:55,440 in sowing the word of God is perhaps the most discouraging 309 00:14:55,440 –> 00:14:58,780 of all experiences, it seems so wonderful 310 00:14:59,739 –> 00:15:01,460 whereas this person five years later 311 00:15:01,580 –> 00:15:04,000 was nowhere to be seen and the story 312 00:15:04,000 –> 00:15:06,599 that was so compelling to so many 313 00:15:07,820 –> 00:15:10,619 and what has come of it now 314 00:15:13,159 –> 00:15:14,659 or to bring it closer to home. 315 00:15:16,900 –> 00:15:20,219 Your son made a profession of faith when he was a little boy 316 00:15:22,700 –> 00:15:27,539 but when he reaches high school, things begin to change 317 00:15:29,099 –> 00:15:30,260 and you no longer see 318 00:15:30,500 –> 00:15:33,000 this joyful receiving of the word in him. 319 00:15:34,580 –> 00:15:36,219 He seems to have lost interest 320 00:15:37,140 –> 00:15:38,979 and it’s all that you can do to even get him 321 00:15:38,979 –> 00:15:40,099 to show up at church. 322 00:15:42,559 –> 00:15:47,140 Cline Snodgrass who teaches in the Chicago area here 323 00:15:48,059 –> 00:15:53,039 has written a massive 800-page book on the parables. 324 00:15:53,700 –> 00:15:55,640 I have a principle of not buying books 325 00:15:55,640 –> 00:15:57,840 that are more than one inch thick 326 00:15:57,840 –> 00:15:59,619 so 800 pages beyond my range 327 00:15:59,619 –> 00:16:02,359 so I borrowed it instead of buying it. 328 00:16:02,359 –> 00:16:04,460 But I did find in it that he has 329 00:16:04,460 –> 00:16:06,119 a very very important statement 330 00:16:06,119 –> 00:16:07,859 that I want to quote for you today. 331 00:16:09,679 –> 00:16:13,640 Receiving the kingdom with joy is not enough. 332 00:16:15,239 –> 00:16:18,280 This is a message that the modern church 333 00:16:18,280 –> 00:16:20,219 desperately needs to hear. 334 00:16:21,840 –> 00:16:26,619 Faith that is temporary and unproductive 335 00:16:26,659 –> 00:16:29,479 is not true faith. 336 00:16:31,219 –> 00:16:32,960 And here’s why he says that the 337 00:16:32,960 –> 00:16:34,299 modern church needs to hear this 338 00:16:34,299 –> 00:16:35,380 I continue the quote, 339 00:16:35,380 –> 00:16:38,280 Most pastors he says would be quite happy 340 00:16:38,280 –> 00:16:40,239 if people received the word with joy 341 00:16:40,239 –> 00:16:42,200 or made claims about faith 342 00:16:42,200 –> 00:16:44,059 but this parable asserts 343 00:16:44,059 –> 00:16:46,539 that people can receive the word with joy 344 00:16:46,539 –> 00:16:49,080 and still be guilty of hardness of heart. 345 00:16:50,700 –> 00:16:52,700 He continues I quote, 346 00:16:52,700 –> 00:16:56,320 the only conversions that count in the kingdom 347 00:16:56,320 –> 00:17:00,099 are those confirmed by a life of discipleship 348 00:17:00,099 –> 00:17:02,000 that’s a very important statement. 349 00:17:03,140 –> 00:17:06,319 The only conversions that count in the kingdom 350 00:17:06,319 –> 00:17:11,319 are those that are confirmed by a life of discipleship 351 00:17:12,319 –> 00:17:13,680 that’s what Jesus is saying in 352 00:17:13,680 –> 00:17:15,079 John chapter 15 and verse eight 353 00:17:15,079 –> 00:17:16,760 that we looked at earlier 354 00:17:16,760 –> 00:17:19,839 that by this you prove that you are my disciples 355 00:17:19,839 –> 00:17:21,119 by bearing fruit 356 00:17:22,359 –> 00:17:23,760 so it’s not grass is saying 357 00:17:23,760 –> 00:17:25,839 therefore he concludes this 358 00:17:25,839 –> 00:17:30,819 churches should not be complicit 359 00:17:30,819 –> 00:17:33,300 in allowing people to think 360 00:17:33,300 –> 00:17:36,359 that an initial response unaccompanied 361 00:17:36,359 –> 00:17:38,619 by productive living is saving faith 362 00:17:40,000 –> 00:17:42,040 and in other words wobbed Titus as a church 363 00:17:42,040 –> 00:17:43,500 or as parents or as leaders 364 00:17:43,500 –> 00:17:45,020 if we communicate to people 365 00:17:45,020 –> 00:17:45,959 that’s simply because 366 00:17:45,959 –> 00:17:47,760 they made an enthusiastic responses 367 00:17:47,760 –> 00:17:49,160 some point in their life 368 00:17:49,160 –> 00:17:51,199 that that means that they are genuinely Christian 369 00:17:51,199 –> 00:17:53,060 irrespective of whether they are following 370 00:17:53,060 –> 00:17:55,420 a life of discipleship or not 371 00:17:56,079 –> 00:17:57,319 the worst, most destructive, 372 00:17:57,319 –> 00:17:59,599 most dangerous thing you could possibly do 373 00:18:00,560 –> 00:18:03,239 is to deceive another person 374 00:18:03,239 –> 00:18:05,119 into thinking they’re really a Christian 375 00:18:05,119 –> 00:18:07,520 when manifestly from the lack of fruit 376 00:18:07,520 –> 00:18:09,079 in their life they are not 377 00:18:10,880 –> 00:18:12,959 now DL Moody 378 00:18:14,099 –> 00:18:18,500 was a wonderfully wise evangelist 379 00:18:19,680 –> 00:18:24,680 and he realized that in giving invitations 380 00:18:24,699 –> 00:18:29,459 as he did to respond in his meetings 381 00:18:29,459 –> 00:18:31,199 that one danger in that 382 00:18:31,199 –> 00:18:35,040 was that this would often tend to draw 383 00:18:35,040 –> 00:18:38,660 people who immediately received the word with joy 384 00:18:38,660 –> 00:18:41,560 oh yes, yes, I want to respond to that 385 00:18:41,560 –> 00:18:45,739 but may over time prove that they had no root in them 386 00:18:45,739 –> 00:18:48,180 and Moody was very, very aware of this 387 00:18:48,180 –> 00:18:51,040 which is a mark of the depth of his wisdom 388 00:18:51,040 –> 00:18:53,400 and of his biblical godliness 389 00:18:53,400 –> 00:18:55,839 permeating the way in which he did ministry 390 00:18:55,839 –> 00:18:59,800 so this is what Moody said to the counselors 391 00:18:59,800 –> 00:19:01,219 at his campaign. 392 00:19:01,219 –> 00:19:02,660 To the people who were dealing with folks 393 00:19:02,660 –> 00:19:05,079 that came forward when he made the invitation. 394 00:19:05,079 –> 00:19:06,239 This is what he said to them, 395 00:19:06,239 –> 00:19:08,959 and I quote this from his biography 396 00:19:08,959 –> 00:19:10,520 that was written by his son. 397 00:19:12,079 –> 00:19:14,920 Quote, this is what Moody said to his counselors. 398 00:19:14,920 –> 00:19:17,619 Urge immediate decision 399 00:19:19,079 –> 00:19:21,939 but never tell a man that he is converted. 400 00:19:23,920 –> 00:19:26,300 Never tell him he is saved. 401 00:19:27,560 –> 00:19:30,359 Let the holy spirit reveal that to him. 402 00:19:31,699 –> 00:19:36,699 You cannot see when a man receives eternal life 403 00:19:36,800 –> 00:19:40,380 and you cannot afford to deceive anyone 404 00:19:40,380 –> 00:19:43,760 about this great question. 405 00:19:46,000 –> 00:19:48,000 Now see, Jesus is making this very clear 406 00:19:48,000 –> 00:19:50,079 that if you sow the seed, 407 00:19:50,199 –> 00:19:53,479 you will know the disappointment of professions of faith 408 00:19:53,479 –> 00:19:55,119 that seem very, very bright 409 00:19:55,119 –> 00:19:57,119 but over time proved not to be genuine 410 00:19:57,119 –> 00:19:59,599 because they do not last. 411 00:20:00,640 –> 00:20:01,819 And he is saying to us 412 00:20:01,819 –> 00:20:03,160 by telling us this parable, 413 00:20:03,160 –> 00:20:04,739 the parable of the sower, 414 00:20:04,739 –> 00:20:06,500 that you must not be as a sower 415 00:20:06,500 –> 00:20:09,199 unduly surprised or discouraged by this. 416 00:20:09,199 –> 00:20:11,380 It happened even in the ministry of Jesus. 417 00:20:12,459 –> 00:20:13,560 There’s so many examples, 418 00:20:13,560 –> 00:20:14,880 I’ll just limit myself to one 419 00:20:14,880 –> 00:20:17,859 and that would be John’s gospel in chapter two. 420 00:20:17,900 –> 00:20:20,939 Remember Jesus does this miracle at Cana of Galilee, 421 00:20:20,939 –> 00:20:22,640 the first of all of his miracles 422 00:20:22,640 –> 00:20:24,459 and it says at the end of that story 423 00:20:24,459 –> 00:20:28,640 that many in Cana believed in his name. 424 00:20:28,640 –> 00:20:30,819 Wow, Jesus, he turns water into wine 425 00:20:30,819 –> 00:20:32,339 oh, we believe in him and joyful. 426 00:20:32,339 –> 00:20:33,260 This is marvelous, 427 00:20:33,260 –> 00:20:35,180 the experience we had at that wedding. 428 00:20:37,060 –> 00:20:37,900 And then it says, 429 00:20:37,900 –> 00:20:40,900 but Jesus did not entrust himself to them 430 00:20:40,900 –> 00:20:42,680 because he knew all people 431 00:20:43,540 –> 00:20:45,099 and he knew what was in man. 432 00:20:46,060 –> 00:20:49,020 Now, of course, we don’t know all people 433 00:20:49,020 –> 00:20:52,819 we can’t see the heart in the way that Jesus did. 434 00:20:52,819 –> 00:20:56,819 We cannot finally tell who is genuinely converted 435 00:20:56,819 –> 00:21:00,239 from the one who is merely manifesting a passing enthusiasm. 436 00:21:01,760 –> 00:21:04,780 But this teaching of Jesus surely reminds us 437 00:21:04,780 –> 00:21:09,780 that as parents and as Christian leaders, 438 00:21:09,819 –> 00:21:12,920 we should be very, very careful 439 00:21:12,920 –> 00:21:17,819 about affirming that a person is a Christian 440 00:21:18,699 –> 00:21:23,699 in advance of seeing evidence of genuine fruit 441 00:21:23,819 –> 00:21:25,579 that is forming in a person’s life, 442 00:21:25,579 –> 00:21:28,819 telling a person that he or she is a Christian 443 00:21:29,959 –> 00:21:32,319 simply because at one time 444 00:21:32,319 –> 00:21:36,420 they made some enthusiastic statement or profession 445 00:21:36,420 –> 00:21:40,459 when they evidently do not love Christ or serve Christ 446 00:21:40,540 –> 00:21:44,459 is one of the most spiritually damaging things 447 00:21:44,459 –> 00:21:46,040 that are parent or a pastor 448 00:21:46,040 –> 00:21:49,400 or a leader of a small group could ever do. 449 00:21:51,339 –> 00:21:53,380 And Jesus says there will be people 450 00:21:53,380 –> 00:21:55,219 who joyfully received the Word, 451 00:21:55,219 –> 00:21:57,380 very, very quickly receive the Word, 452 00:21:57,380 –> 00:21:59,339 but it is a passing phase. 453 00:21:59,339 –> 00:22:02,359 And some of you know the agony of this, 454 00:22:02,359 –> 00:22:03,599 close to home. 455 00:22:04,939 –> 00:22:08,380 Someone who seem to show so much promise 456 00:22:08,380 –> 00:22:09,619 to be so bright, 457 00:22:11,540 –> 00:22:13,040 has now gone back. 458 00:22:13,040 –> 00:22:15,459 And you plead with her. 459 00:22:15,459 –> 00:22:18,780 And you remind her of the joy that she once knew 460 00:22:18,780 –> 00:22:20,420 and the profession that she once made. 461 00:22:20,420 –> 00:22:23,359 But she says she’s moved on 462 00:22:23,359 –> 00:22:25,020 and her heart is in another place 463 00:22:25,020 –> 00:22:27,180 and she does not hear you. 464 00:22:28,199 –> 00:22:30,260 She has no root in her, 465 00:22:30,260 –> 00:22:32,339 she is easily influenced. 466 00:22:34,140 –> 00:22:35,819 And she has gone out 467 00:22:36,739 –> 00:22:40,140 as quickly and as easily as she came in. 468 00:22:42,560 –> 00:22:44,699 Here’s what you’re gonna experience 469 00:22:44,699 –> 00:22:48,300 over a lifetime as a sower of the Word. 470 00:22:48,300 –> 00:22:52,260 You’re gonna find that some are unresponsive. 471 00:22:52,260 –> 00:22:54,939 You’re gonna find that others are receptive, 472 00:22:54,939 –> 00:22:58,199 enthusiastic, but that it does not last. 473 00:22:59,280 –> 00:23:03,680 Understand that, expect that, know that that happens. 474 00:23:03,680 –> 00:23:05,780 Third, you’re gonna find people 475 00:23:05,959 –> 00:23:08,439 who are distracted, here’s something else 476 00:23:08,439 –> 00:23:11,719 you will experience as a sower of the Word. 477 00:23:11,719 –> 00:23:15,380 Verse 22, as for what was sown among thorns, 478 00:23:16,500 –> 00:23:19,420 this is the one who hears the Word, 479 00:23:19,719 –> 00:23:23,880 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches 480 00:23:26,339 –> 00:23:29,680 choke the Word and it proves unfruitful. 481 00:23:29,680 –> 00:23:32,739 So here is a person who hears the Word 482 00:23:32,739 –> 00:23:35,380 and there is a receiving of the Word 483 00:23:35,380 –> 00:23:39,540 and the seed gets into the soil and it begins to grow. 484 00:23:42,199 –> 00:23:44,699 Now, to get the picture clear, 485 00:23:44,780 –> 00:23:46,880 it’s worth just glancing back to Verse 7 486 00:23:46,880 –> 00:23:49,160 where Jesus says something very significant. 487 00:23:49,160 –> 00:23:53,160 He says, the thorns grew up, the thorns grew up 488 00:23:54,079 –> 00:23:57,920 The thorns grew up. 489 00:23:57,920 –> 00:24:00,420 The thorns grew up. 490 00:24:01,020 –> 00:24:04,459 What that means is that the thorns were not visible 491 00:24:04,520 –> 00:24:08,300 at the time when the seed was sown. 492 00:24:08,439 –> 00:24:10,619 So don’t think of big thorn bushes 493 00:24:10,619 –> 00:24:13,020 and seed being thrown into the middle of the bushes. 494 00:24:13,020 –> 00:24:16,780 This is ground that looks like it’s good soil. 495 00:24:17,219 –> 00:24:21,420 There’s no evidence of any thorns at the time of the sowing. 496 00:24:21,859 –> 00:24:25,199 But under the surface of the soil 497 00:24:25,199 –> 00:24:28,260 there are large root systems 498 00:24:28,260 –> 00:24:29,839 from old thorn bushes 499 00:24:29,839 –> 00:24:33,439 that have never been dug up from the ground. 500 00:24:33,439 –> 00:24:35,060 They’re just covered over. 501 00:24:36,119 –> 00:24:39,420 So when the seed goes into that ground 502 00:24:39,420 –> 00:24:41,540 the vigor that comes from these 503 00:24:41,540 –> 00:24:44,660 substantial thorny root systems 504 00:24:44,660 –> 00:24:47,020 it outgrows the seed 505 00:24:47,020 –> 00:24:48,859 and therefore chokes the seed 506 00:24:49,280 –> 00:24:53,099 over time kills off its life. 507 00:24:54,479 –> 00:24:56,800 Now notice that Jesus does not 508 00:24:56,800 –> 00:24:59,479 say that this person falls away. 509 00:25:00,640 –> 00:25:05,060 The distracted person remains in the church 510 00:25:05,060 –> 00:25:06,979 and this person would 511 00:25:06,979 –> 00:25:09,439 say he or she is a Christian. 512 00:25:10,599 –> 00:25:14,439 But the issue here is that this person is unfruitful. 513 00:25:14,439 –> 00:25:17,699 The ground of his life is so crowded 514 00:25:18,900 –> 00:25:22,859 that the profession of faith that he makes is barren. 515 00:25:22,859 –> 00:25:24,880 It doesn’t produce fruit. 516 00:25:24,880 –> 00:25:28,359 He would say oh yes, yes, yes, I’m a Christian 517 00:25:28,359 –> 00:25:30,420 but, as one commentator says, 518 00:25:30,420 –> 00:25:34,219 the power of godliness 519 00:25:34,219 –> 00:25:36,459 is eaten out of his life. 520 00:25:36,459 –> 00:25:38,300 It’s hollowed out. 521 00:25:39,140 –> 00:25:40,780 One way the New Testament puts this 522 00:25:40,780 –> 00:25:43,819 is this person has a form of godliness. 523 00:25:43,819 –> 00:25:45,540 They’re in church and everyone, 524 00:25:45,540 –> 00:25:47,160 oh yes, he’s a good Christian 525 00:25:47,199 –> 00:25:48,939 but it’s without the power. 526 00:25:48,939 –> 00:25:51,219 There’s no life that’s actually 527 00:25:51,219 –> 00:25:52,660 going on in this person. 528 00:25:52,660 –> 00:25:54,239 It’s an outward shell. 529 00:25:54,239 –> 00:25:56,599 The power of godliness has been eaten 530 00:25:56,599 –> 00:25:58,040 out from the inside. 531 00:25:58,040 –> 00:25:59,959 It’s been crowded out. 532 00:26:02,319 –> 00:26:06,660 My friends, here’s what we experience 533 00:26:07,880 –> 00:26:12,219 multiple times as sores 534 00:26:12,219 –> 00:26:15,339 off the word in America today. 535 00:26:17,579 –> 00:26:20,479 There are many people who receive the word 536 00:26:20,479 –> 00:26:23,660 in that they profess faith in Christ. 537 00:26:25,300 –> 00:26:29,180 But the root system of the American Dream 538 00:26:29,180 –> 00:26:33,439 has already filled the soil of their lives. 539 00:26:34,400 –> 00:26:36,619 And instead of digging out 540 00:26:36,619 –> 00:26:39,680 that thorny root system 541 00:26:39,680 –> 00:26:42,079 that is essentially about me being everything 542 00:26:42,079 –> 00:26:43,800 that I can become, and my life being 543 00:26:43,800 –> 00:26:46,239 everything that I want it to be, 544 00:26:46,239 –> 00:26:49,420 instead of digging out that thorny root system 545 00:26:49,420 –> 00:26:52,780 they merely add faith in Jesus 546 00:26:52,780 –> 00:26:54,699 to what is already their. 547 00:26:55,859 –> 00:26:57,819 So that what they mean by faith 548 00:26:57,819 –> 00:27:02,680 is looking to Jesus to help them achieve their own dream. 549 00:27:03,819 –> 00:27:06,339 The ground of their life is already filled. 550 00:27:06,339 –> 00:27:09,819 It is already crammed with a root system 551 00:27:09,819 –> 00:27:13,300 of another plant that has never been dug up. 552 00:27:14,280 –> 00:27:17,800 And therefore though faith is professed, 553 00:27:17,800 –> 00:27:20,619 although church is attended, 554 00:27:20,619 –> 00:27:23,520 there is no room for the Wordto grow. 555 00:27:23,520 –> 00:27:24,739 What’s occupying life? 556 00:27:24,739 –> 00:27:26,079 Oh, the deceitfulness of riches, 557 00:27:26,079 –> 00:27:26,920 the cares of this world. 558 00:27:26,920 –> 00:27:28,459 It’s all about me. 559 00:27:29,800 –> 00:27:30,959 The rich young ruler of course 560 00:27:30,959 –> 00:27:33,979 is a perfect example of this in the ministry of Jesus. 561 00:27:34,800 –> 00:27:36,579 I want my life to be everything it can be. 562 00:27:36,579 –> 00:27:38,339 I want heaven as well. 563 00:27:38,339 –> 00:27:40,540 I just want to make sure and 564 00:27:40,660 –> 00:27:43,880 and remember how he goes away from Jesus 565 00:27:43,880 –> 00:27:45,859 and he’s sorrowful. 566 00:27:47,339 –> 00:27:48,160 Sorrowful. 567 00:27:50,000 –> 00:27:51,920 And say what’s the mark of this person? 568 00:27:51,920 –> 00:27:53,119 There’s no real joy. 569 00:27:53,119 –> 00:27:55,599 There’s no vibrant life. 570 00:27:57,000 –> 00:27:57,839 Why? 571 00:27:57,839 –> 00:27:59,239 Because the root system of their life 572 00:27:59,239 –> 00:28:01,739 is just full of the thorns 573 00:28:02,699 –> 00:28:05,719 of the me life 574 00:28:05,719 –> 00:28:08,839 in this world. 575 00:28:09,719 –> 00:28:12,479 Are you gonna experience that, Jesus says? 576 00:28:12,479 –> 00:28:13,979 You’re gonna find that. 577 00:28:13,979 –> 00:28:15,680 People who are professing faith, 578 00:28:15,680 –> 00:28:18,119 but there’s no reality of spiritual life. 579 00:28:18,119 –> 00:28:19,300 It’s in name only, 580 00:28:22,060 –> 00:28:25,560 because the ground of life is already full 581 00:28:25,560 –> 00:28:29,199 of a root that has never been dug up. 582 00:28:31,359 –> 00:28:32,199 Forth, 583 00:28:33,000 –> 00:28:36,439 you will find as a sower of the word 584 00:28:38,280 –> 00:28:40,439 that there are some who are receptive 585 00:28:40,439 –> 00:28:43,000 and are abundantly fruitful. 586 00:28:43,000 –> 00:28:43,979 Look at verse 23. 587 00:28:45,239 –> 00:28:48,680 As for what was sown on good soil, 588 00:28:48,680 –> 00:28:51,959 this is the one who hears the Word 589 00:28:51,959 –> 00:28:53,280 and understands it. 590 00:28:53,280 –> 00:28:56,420 He, indeed, bears fruit 591 00:28:57,359 –> 00:29:01,719 and yields, in one case, 100 fold. 592 00:29:03,040 –> 00:29:04,800 In another, 60. 593 00:29:05,760 –> 00:29:08,079 In another, 30. 594 00:29:10,000 –> 00:29:13,000 Here are people who hear the word of God 595 00:29:13,000 –> 00:29:16,599 and they receive it, they grasp it, 596 00:29:16,599 –> 00:29:18,760 they apply it into their own lives 597 00:29:18,760 –> 00:29:22,239 and it becomes abundantly fruitful in them. 598 00:29:23,420 –> 00:29:25,800 They see that God’s word speaks to them, 599 00:29:25,800 –> 00:29:29,160 that God lays claim to their lives. 600 00:29:29,160 –> 00:29:31,819 It bears fruit in them. 601 00:29:33,000 –> 00:29:36,979 And notice that God’s word will be more fruitful 602 00:29:36,979 –> 00:29:41,979 in some true believers than in other true believers. 603 00:29:42,660 –> 00:29:45,859 The degree of fruitfulness that comes 604 00:29:45,859 –> 00:29:47,420 from the sowing of the word of God 605 00:29:47,420 –> 00:29:49,660 will vary even among believers. 606 00:29:49,660 –> 00:29:53,339 In 100-fold, in another 60-fold, in another 30-fold, 607 00:29:53,339 –> 00:29:56,420 but though the degree of fruitfulness 608 00:29:56,420 –> 00:29:58,339 will vary between believers, 609 00:29:58,339 –> 00:30:01,260 the distinguishing mark of every true believer 610 00:30:01,300 –> 00:30:03,939 is that the word of God bears fruit in your life, 611 00:30:05,500 –> 00:30:07,359 which is what Jesus was saying. 612 00:30:07,359 –> 00:30:11,699 In this, my father, is glorified that you bear much fruit 613 00:30:11,699 –> 00:30:16,699 and so prove that you are my disciples. 614 00:30:18,119 –> 00:30:19,380 What is the fruit? 615 00:30:20,780 –> 00:30:25,140 It bears fruit of repentance and of faith 616 00:30:25,140 –> 00:30:30,140 and of hope and of love and of service 617 00:30:30,180 –> 00:30:34,900 and of perseverance and of obedience and of humility 618 00:30:34,900 –> 00:30:36,420 and of all the fruit of the spirit 619 00:30:36,420 –> 00:30:39,339 and on a long, long list, 620 00:30:39,339 –> 00:30:42,579 the fruit of a godly life 621 00:30:42,579 –> 00:30:47,540 in all of its beauty and all of its fullness. 622 00:30:49,199 –> 00:30:52,540 Here’s the great encouragement that Jesus is giving 623 00:30:52,540 –> 00:30:55,319 to all sowers of the seed. 624 00:30:56,219 –> 00:30:57,859 The living seed of the word of God 625 00:30:57,880 –> 00:31:00,400 will produce an abundant harvest, 626 00:31:00,400 –> 00:31:02,599 but understand, it won’t produce an abundant harvest 627 00:31:02,599 –> 00:31:03,760 in everybody’s life. 628 00:31:04,839 –> 00:31:07,939 And even among those in whom it produces fruit, 629 00:31:07,939 –> 00:31:10,319 it will not produce an equal amount of fruit, 630 00:31:10,319 –> 00:31:12,479 it will not produce an equal harvest 631 00:31:12,479 –> 00:31:15,020 in the lives of everyone in whom it is fruitful, 632 00:31:15,020 –> 00:31:16,160 that will vary. 633 00:31:17,520 –> 00:31:20,140 And you will not see this fruit coming immediately. 634 00:31:20,140 –> 00:31:21,760 It is the parable of the sower. 635 00:31:21,760 –> 00:31:23,939 But the seed grows over time, 636 00:31:23,939 –> 00:31:25,859 and often the most immediate results 637 00:31:25,859 –> 00:31:27,719 turn out to be quite disappointing. 638 00:31:28,640 –> 00:31:32,839 Understand, as you give yourself to a life of service, 639 00:31:32,839 –> 00:31:36,359 that there will be frustrations, there will be setbacks, 640 00:31:36,359 –> 00:31:39,239 but God’s word faithfully sown 641 00:31:39,239 –> 00:31:42,119 will raise a harvest of lives 642 00:31:42,119 –> 00:31:46,699 that are lived under the blessing of God’s rule. 643 00:31:46,699 –> 00:31:49,739 That’s what he’s teaching in this parable. 644 00:31:52,920 –> 00:31:54,819 Now, let me, just in these last moments, 645 00:31:54,819 –> 00:31:56,680 then, try and draw some conclusions 646 00:31:56,719 –> 00:31:58,920 or some very practical applications 647 00:31:58,920 –> 00:32:02,359 from what Jesus teaches to us here. 648 00:32:02,359 –> 00:32:06,680 Practical wisdom for sustaining, in the long term, 649 00:32:06,680 –> 00:32:09,900 a faithful and fruitful ministry. 650 00:32:11,040 –> 00:32:14,979 As a first application, stick with the proper seed. 651 00:32:16,119 –> 00:32:19,959 Always remember that the fruit-bearing seed 652 00:32:19,959 –> 00:32:21,579 is the word of God. 653 00:32:21,579 –> 00:32:24,420 He who hears the word, hears the word, hears the word. 654 00:32:24,420 –> 00:32:25,900 Jesus keeps repeating it. 655 00:32:27,180 –> 00:32:28,619 The seed is the word of God, 656 00:32:28,619 –> 00:32:30,920 and the word of God is the only seed 657 00:32:30,920 –> 00:32:34,260 that will bear the fruit of God-ward change 658 00:32:34,260 –> 00:32:36,040 in people’s lives. 659 00:32:37,380 –> 00:32:38,979 And one of the greatest responsibilities 660 00:32:38,979 –> 00:32:40,900 of a ministry leader, 661 00:32:40,900 –> 00:32:42,260 whatever God may have given you, 662 00:32:42,260 –> 00:32:44,939 trust in leadership in a ministry, 663 00:32:44,939 –> 00:32:47,020 in a small group, 664 00:32:47,020 –> 00:32:49,800 mentoring situation, 665 00:32:49,800 –> 00:32:53,900 oversight of a church, 666 00:32:54,380 –> 00:32:56,079 one of the greatest responsibilities 667 00:32:56,079 –> 00:32:57,640 of any ministry leader, 668 00:32:57,640 –> 00:32:59,819 wherever God has given you that trust, 669 00:32:59,819 –> 00:33:01,699 is that that you make sure, 670 00:33:01,699 –> 00:33:03,420 to the best of your ability, 671 00:33:03,420 –> 00:33:04,900 that the word of God 672 00:33:04,900 –> 00:33:06,859 is at the heart of the ministry 673 00:33:06,859 –> 00:33:09,459 in which he has given you responsibility. 674 00:33:11,640 –> 00:33:13,859 Would a person need a Bible 675 00:33:13,859 –> 00:33:16,020 when they showed up for the evening 676 00:33:16,020 –> 00:33:17,339 in your life group? 677 00:33:18,719 –> 00:33:20,900 If they wouldn’t need a Bible in your life group, 678 00:33:20,900 –> 00:33:22,619 change what you life group is doing 679 00:33:22,640 –> 00:33:23,859 until you’re doing something 680 00:33:23,859 –> 00:33:26,000 for which a person would need a Bible. 681 00:33:26,920 –> 00:33:28,719 So that you’re sowing the right seed. 682 00:33:29,979 –> 00:33:31,540 Two women are in a mentoring relationship. 683 00:33:31,540 –> 00:33:33,099 They meet for coffee. 684 00:33:33,979 –> 00:33:35,219 And here you are, 685 00:33:35,219 –> 00:33:37,619 the person who’s been given some wisdom from the Lord, 686 00:33:37,619 –> 00:33:39,380 and you’re trying to impart some good things. 687 00:33:39,380 –> 00:33:41,339 Would the person who’s meeting with you 688 00:33:41,339 –> 00:33:42,739 for that mentoring, 689 00:33:42,739 –> 00:33:44,660 would they need a Bible when they meet with you? 690 00:33:44,660 –> 00:33:46,979 Would that be part of the conversation? 691 00:33:46,979 –> 00:33:48,719 Would you be bringing them in any way 692 00:33:48,719 –> 00:33:51,680 to what you have learned from the word of God? 693 00:33:51,680 –> 00:33:53,420 If not, change your approach to mentoring 694 00:33:53,420 –> 00:33:55,439 until they would need a Bible. 695 00:33:55,439 –> 00:33:56,660 And then you’ll be planting the seed 696 00:33:56,660 –> 00:33:57,500 of the word of God. 697 00:33:57,500 –> 00:33:59,500 Then you’ll be producing a God word life. 698 00:34:01,140 –> 00:34:02,459 This is the only seed that does it. 699 00:34:02,459 –> 00:34:04,800 Here’s how a church loses 700 00:34:04,800 –> 00:34:06,800 a fruitful and faithful ministry. 701 00:34:08,679 –> 00:34:10,080 What happens is this. 702 00:34:10,080 –> 00:34:12,800 Some well meaning Christians 703 00:34:12,800 –> 00:34:17,520 observe what Jesus teaches us here, 704 00:34:17,520 –> 00:34:20,000 that the seed of the word of God 705 00:34:20,000 –> 00:34:22,100 does not produce an abundant harvest 706 00:34:22,100 –> 00:34:23,199 in every life. 707 00:34:24,659 –> 00:34:28,199 And they say, there are some people 708 00:34:28,199 –> 00:34:31,860 for whom this seed is not producing a harvest. 709 00:34:31,860 –> 00:34:34,320 We have to consider them. 710 00:34:34,320 –> 00:34:36,800 Let’s try some other seed. 711 00:34:37,899 –> 00:34:39,520 They’re not responding. 712 00:34:40,379 –> 00:34:43,500 So let’s give them something else. 713 00:34:44,840 –> 00:34:46,239 But here’s the difficulty 714 00:34:46,239 –> 00:34:47,719 when a church goes down that line 715 00:34:47,719 –> 00:34:49,800 or when a ministry goes down that line. 716 00:34:49,840 –> 00:34:53,679 Different seed will produce a different harvest. 717 00:34:53,679 –> 00:34:57,919 Different seed may keep a circle of people in the group. 718 00:34:57,919 –> 00:35:00,959 Different seed may create a helpful group experience, 719 00:35:00,959 –> 00:35:05,280 but it will not bring people under the rule of God. 720 00:35:05,280 –> 00:35:07,879 It will not produce lives that are lived 721 00:35:07,879 –> 00:35:11,520 under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 722 00:35:11,520 –> 00:35:14,520 Only the seed of the word of God does that. 723 00:35:15,360 –> 00:35:20,020 So you see, the goal of Jesus was never to keep the crowd. 724 00:35:20,939 –> 00:35:24,379 The goal of Jesus was always to draw out of the crowd 725 00:35:24,379 –> 00:35:27,899 people who would live under the blessing of God’s rule. 726 00:35:27,899 –> 00:35:32,899 That harvest can only be raised through the word of God. 727 00:35:34,080 –> 00:35:37,000 So I’m saying to you from this passage of scripture, 728 00:35:37,000 –> 00:35:40,300 let’s stick with the proper seed individually and together. 729 00:35:40,300 –> 00:35:42,659 Thank God for a church that more than 60 years 730 00:35:43,219 –> 00:35:45,620 has stuck with the living seed of the word of God 731 00:35:45,620 –> 00:35:47,979 and says that’s what’s gonna be central to our ministry. 732 00:35:47,979 –> 00:35:49,540 May that always be so. 733 00:35:50,639 –> 00:35:52,260 You have to understand though 734 00:35:52,260 –> 00:35:54,399 that it won’t raise a harvest in everybody. 735 00:35:55,659 –> 00:35:57,560 And if you start from that perspective, 736 00:35:57,560 –> 00:35:59,340 that’s how it gets lost, you see. 737 00:36:00,659 –> 00:36:04,100 Stick with the proper seed, 738 00:36:05,780 –> 00:36:07,260 exercise patience. 739 00:36:08,860 –> 00:36:11,100 Remember that the seed grows over time. 740 00:36:13,139 –> 00:36:16,080 Jesus told the parable of the sower, 741 00:36:17,139 –> 00:36:19,360 not the parable of the bomber. 742 00:36:21,100 –> 00:36:24,080 He does not say a certain bomber went out to bomb 743 00:36:24,080 –> 00:36:28,219 and as he bombed, the whole face of the earth beneath him 744 00:36:28,219 –> 00:36:30,620 was completely and immediately changed. 745 00:36:32,300 –> 00:36:34,860 And the truth is sometimes that’s what we would like 746 00:36:34,860 –> 00:36:36,979 to see the structures of evil 747 00:36:36,979 –> 00:36:39,540 are sometimes so strong in this world. 748 00:36:39,580 –> 00:36:41,979 Oh, how we would love to see abortion 749 00:36:41,979 –> 00:36:44,860 unneeded and unwanted now. 750 00:36:46,699 –> 00:36:49,739 Oh, how we would love to see the culture transformed, 751 00:36:49,739 –> 00:36:54,540 the winds blowing in the direction of godliness now. 752 00:36:56,760 –> 00:37:00,219 There are times when in our frustration, 753 00:37:00,219 –> 00:37:04,699 we would be happy so to speak 754 00:37:04,699 –> 00:37:06,959 if God were to drop a few bombs. 755 00:37:07,560 –> 00:37:11,360 But Jesus is telling us here 756 00:37:13,080 –> 00:37:15,919 that God’s work gets done by sowing seeds, 757 00:37:15,919 –> 00:37:17,439 not by dropping bombs. 758 00:37:18,600 –> 00:37:21,040 That the work of Christ gets done 759 00:37:21,040 –> 00:37:23,500 not by Earth shattering explosions, 760 00:37:25,639 –> 00:37:29,000 but by the faithful continual 761 00:37:29,000 –> 00:37:31,620 sowing the seed of the word of God, 762 00:37:31,620 –> 00:37:34,979 the living seed that bears fruit in one person at a time, 763 00:37:35,899 –> 00:37:39,580 one congregation at a time. 764 00:37:41,300 –> 00:37:43,540 And then the third application is simply this, 765 00:37:43,540 –> 00:37:44,899 watch yourself, 766 00:37:46,139 –> 00:37:49,179 always remember this is a message to sowers, 767 00:37:49,179 –> 00:37:51,540 but remember this, that your work as a sower, 768 00:37:51,540 –> 00:37:53,040 someone who wants to bring the word of God 769 00:37:53,040 –> 00:37:54,659 into the lives of others, 770 00:37:54,659 –> 00:37:56,899 your work as a sower can affect 771 00:37:56,899 –> 00:37:58,219 the soil of your own heart. 772 00:37:58,219 –> 00:37:59,939 I must never forget as a pastor, 773 00:37:59,939 –> 00:38:01,679 you must never forget as a leader, 774 00:38:02,399 –> 00:38:05,320 that while we are given the great privilege 775 00:38:05,320 –> 00:38:07,439 of ministering the word of God to others, 776 00:38:07,439 –> 00:38:08,860 we ourselves are soil 777 00:38:08,860 –> 00:38:11,500 and we have to watch the soil of our own hearts. 778 00:38:12,639 –> 00:38:13,979 Here’s what happens, 779 00:38:13,979 –> 00:38:15,959 you love the Lord, you give yourself to ministry, 780 00:38:15,959 –> 00:38:18,520 you step up, you take some responsibility. 781 00:38:18,520 –> 00:38:19,939 You become a sower of the word 782 00:38:19,939 –> 00:38:21,639 in the lives of other people. 783 00:38:21,639 –> 00:38:24,899 And not too long after, here’s what happens, 784 00:38:24,899 –> 00:38:26,719 you get trodden on. 785 00:38:26,719 –> 00:38:29,399 The soil of your heart gets trodden on. 786 00:38:29,399 –> 00:38:30,760 There’s some difficult experience 787 00:38:30,760 –> 00:38:33,159 that comes in the course of ministry, 788 00:38:33,159 –> 00:38:35,620 and at that point you have to watch your own heart 789 00:38:35,620 –> 00:38:38,120 that it does not become hard like the path. 790 00:38:39,399 –> 00:38:41,760 How easy it is, I’ve seen this. 791 00:38:43,060 –> 00:38:45,879 A parent who is so deeply concerned, 792 00:38:45,879 –> 00:38:49,300 a father who’s so deeply concerned about his son 793 00:38:49,300 –> 00:38:52,840 who is unresponsive and hard-hearted towards the Lord 794 00:38:52,840 –> 00:38:56,760 and in his own frustration, in his own anxiety over that, 795 00:38:56,760 –> 00:38:58,560 what he does not notice 796 00:38:58,560 –> 00:39:02,280 is a slow process in which his own heart 797 00:39:02,280 –> 00:39:05,800 is becoming increasingly hard and unresponsive 798 00:39:05,800 –> 00:39:07,360 towards the same word. 799 00:39:09,060 –> 00:39:11,300 And as you give yourself to ministry, 800 00:39:11,300 –> 00:39:13,879 you will find that it becomes more costly, 801 00:39:13,879 –> 00:39:16,439 God will ask more of you, 802 00:39:16,439 –> 00:39:18,679 circumstances will arise in your life 803 00:39:18,679 –> 00:39:20,419 that will make it more difficult. 804 00:39:20,419 –> 00:39:22,600 When that happens, watch your heart 805 00:39:22,600 –> 00:39:26,659 that as a sower you do not lose your joy. 806 00:39:27,500 –> 00:39:29,860 And as you give yourself to ministry, 807 00:39:29,860 –> 00:39:30,699 here’s what happens. 808 00:39:30,699 –> 00:39:33,320 Your life will become more crowded. 809 00:39:34,260 –> 00:39:36,260 As God gives you greater responsibility 810 00:39:36,260 –> 00:39:39,820 it will be harder for you to manage your life. 811 00:39:39,820 –> 00:39:41,459 That’s why the ability for a person 812 00:39:41,459 –> 00:39:43,879 to manage their life and therefore manage their household 813 00:39:43,879 –> 00:39:46,659 is one of the qualifications for leadership 814 00:39:46,659 –> 00:39:48,979 in the life of the church. 815 00:39:48,979 –> 00:39:51,199 It’s when your life becomes increasingly crowded, 816 00:39:51,199 –> 00:39:52,040 watch your heart, 817 00:39:52,040 –> 00:39:55,300 it’s easy to become like Martha, who loved Jesus, 818 00:39:55,300 –> 00:39:57,560 but she was concerned about many things, 819 00:39:57,560 –> 00:40:00,860 good things, things even that related to Jesus. 820 00:40:00,860 –> 00:40:03,300 Don’t let your life become so crowded 821 00:40:03,300 –> 00:40:05,719 with what you are doing for Jesus 822 00:40:05,719 –> 00:40:09,340 that you no longer have room for Jesus in you. 823 00:40:11,219 –> 00:40:12,239 Then here’s the fourth thing. 824 00:40:12,239 –> 00:40:15,379 Trust the outcome of your ministry into the hands of God. 825 00:40:16,719 –> 00:40:21,219 Always remember that God can change the hardest heart. 826 00:40:22,899 –> 00:40:24,459 There will be times when you wonder, 827 00:40:24,500 –> 00:40:27,260 that’s why Jesus tells us the parable, 828 00:40:27,260 –> 00:40:30,060 you will wonder what is come of your sowing of the seed 829 00:40:30,060 –> 00:40:32,020 in a particular person’s life. 830 00:40:32,020 –> 00:40:33,739 You prayed for them, you loved them 831 00:40:35,139 –> 00:40:36,860 and it seems as far as you can see 832 00:40:36,860 –> 00:40:37,919 that all of your efforts 833 00:40:37,919 –> 00:40:39,260 and even the efforts of others 834 00:40:39,260 –> 00:40:42,679 have been like sowing seed on very, very hard ground indeed 835 00:40:42,679 –> 00:40:45,699 and it’s not obvious to you that anything much remains. 836 00:40:47,300 –> 00:40:49,080 But I want you to think about this picture 837 00:40:49,080 –> 00:40:51,120 as you see that hard strip of ground, 838 00:40:51,120 –> 00:40:53,679 the path that goes through the middle of the field, 839 00:40:54,500 –> 00:40:55,959 that has been widely sown. 840 00:40:57,879 –> 00:41:02,879 You do not know where God will be plowing next week. 841 00:41:04,899 –> 00:41:07,659 William Lane points out 842 00:41:07,659 –> 00:41:09,959 and I’ve found this so wonderfully helpful 843 00:41:09,959 –> 00:41:11,540 so that’s why I end here, 844 00:41:12,739 –> 00:41:14,179 that in the time of Jesus, 845 00:41:14,179 –> 00:41:17,760 plowing was done after sowing, not before. 846 00:41:19,360 –> 00:41:20,479 Now, you think about that picture, 847 00:41:20,479 –> 00:41:21,939 here’s the strip of hard ground, 848 00:41:21,939 –> 00:41:22,860 nothing remains on it, 849 00:41:22,959 –> 00:41:24,699 all the seed seems to have been taken away 850 00:41:24,699 –> 00:41:26,560 but now the plough comes 851 00:41:26,560 –> 00:41:28,520 and it goes right through the hard ground 852 00:41:28,520 –> 00:41:30,199 as well as through the good ground 853 00:41:31,239 –> 00:41:34,879 and the seed that was near to the path 854 00:41:34,879 –> 00:41:36,959 suddenly gets tipped and turned 855 00:41:36,959 –> 00:41:39,000 and everything has changed. 856 00:41:40,479 –> 00:41:43,979 The plough goes through the hardest routes, 857 00:41:43,979 –> 00:41:48,320 the plough moves, God’s plough moves, 858 00:41:49,360 –> 00:41:51,959 the stoniest ground, the biggest boulders 859 00:41:53,320 –> 00:41:57,500 and when God’s plough comes won’t you be so glad 860 00:41:57,500 –> 00:41:59,500 that you had planted the seed? 861 00:42:02,020 –> 00:42:03,060 Let’s pray together. 862 00:42:06,979 –> 00:42:08,320 Oh God, send the plough. 863 00:42:11,540 –> 00:42:16,540 Send the plough into hard areas of all of our hearts 864 00:42:19,939 –> 00:42:22,280 and hardness of heart in those we love. 865 00:42:23,580 –> 00:42:28,340 Into lives that are crowded with the things of this world 866 00:42:28,340 –> 00:42:31,320 and the promotion of the great dream for me. 867 00:42:33,399 –> 00:42:35,659 Into the stoneyness that makes 868 00:42:39,179 –> 00:42:42,280 our profession shallow and unstable. 869 00:42:45,280 –> 00:42:48,260 And Lord, make us, those who are renewed in our resolve 870 00:42:48,260 –> 00:42:50,260 and in our commitment, that the word of God 871 00:42:50,260 –> 00:42:52,360 may be rich in our own lives. 872 00:42:53,540 –> 00:42:57,739 That it may be rich also in the lives of others. 873 00:42:57,739 –> 00:42:59,659 That we may be sowers of the right seed, 874 00:42:59,659 –> 00:43:01,459 the seed of the word of God. 875 00:43:02,540 –> 00:43:05,840 That we may overcome what discourages us, 876 00:43:05,840 –> 00:43:10,840 that we may face setbacks, that we may bear much fruit 877 00:43:12,659 –> 00:43:16,639 and so prove ourselves to be truly your disciples. 878 00:43:17,800 –> 00:43:19,699 And to this end we ask for your grace 879 00:43:19,699 –> 00:43:22,060 and for the help and the power of your Holy Spirit 880 00:43:22,060 –> 00:43:25,820 and in this we acknowledge our total dependence upon you 881 00:43:25,820 –> 00:43:27,899 and look to you. 882 00:43:27,899 –> 00:43:29,879 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, 883 00:43:29,879 –> 00:43:31,379 your son, our savior, we pray 884 00:43:31,379 –> 00:43:33,879 and everyone say together amen.