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Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 (Parable of the Sower – Part 2) · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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So let's go ahead, go into our text, we'll read it, and get into it.
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Matthew 13, starting in verse 1, says,
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And then down to verse 18,
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Matthew 13, starting in verse 1,
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Before we get into it, let's pray.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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He also is providing us a promise.
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Jesus provides a promise that there will always be people who will not respond to his message.
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There are those who will simply not accept it.
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But at the same time, there are those who will, and he promises that they will produce an abundant harvest.
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No amount of weed-infested soil or untenable ground will be able to stop that.
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This is what we can expect from the kingdom of heaven.
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Matthew further expounds on these ideas, and he presents Jesus' teaching on the parable of the sower.
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But before we get to the parable itself, Matthew sets the scene for us.
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At the very beginning of our text, Matthew mentions that same day.
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So it's all happening on the same day, and for good reason, because quite a lot has happened up to this point.
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Before the event of our text, Jesus has performed a number of miracles, ranging from healing to casting out a demon.
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He has also engaged with scribes and Pharisees, and on a couple of occasions called them an evil,
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or on one occasion called them an evil and adulterous generation because they asked for a sign.
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This work and this routine of Jesus' healing, performing miraculous signs, and teaching was more than just some attractional method.
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It was to prove his divinity and his authority.
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Matthew has recorded the day full of events to further validate Jesus' message and prove that he is the Christ.
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Matthew is saying that as difficult as they may be, Jesus' words have authority.
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Just before the events of our passage, and literally right before it, in Matthew 12, 46-50,
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Jesus' mother and brothers were seeking him, but instead of rushing out of the house to see them,
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he took the opportunity to talk about the nature of the kingdom of heaven.
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In that text it says,
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Notice in that text both the exclusive nature of the response in addition to the visual imagery of separation.
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Those who do the will of Father being inside the house, while even Jesus' own family are on the outside.
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Matthew is helping to prime his readers for this type of exclusive language that is about to follow.
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So, let's pick up where the narrative starts in our text.
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Matthew records for us that,
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Our passage begins with Jesus leaving the house to go and sit beside the sea on his own.
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In all cases, Jesus knew what was about to happen next,
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but Matthew does not tell us why exactly he does this in the text.
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From a practical standpoint, Jesus may have been seeking some time alone.
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He often does this to pray, to prepare for the next task, before making a decision, to grieve, and even just to rest.
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As is often the case, though, the crowds find him and gather all around.
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In order to alleviate some of the chaos of the amount of people,
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and perhaps allow the crowd to hear better,
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he gets into a boat while the crowd stands on the beach.
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Although it is not mentioned, we see that later in the text,
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the disciples are able to ask him a question privately,
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so it would seem that they were able to join him in the boat as well.
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Here is yet another distinction being made,
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this time between the crowd and his disciples.
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Lastly, one other thing to notice.
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After getting to the boat, Jesus does something significant.
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He sits down.
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If you are an astute Bible reader,
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you may have noticed that this was something he does a lot before he begins to teach.
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He does this in rabbinic fashion, as was common for teachers of the day,
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as an authoritative stance.
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If the signs were not enough,
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even the way that he sits expresses his teaching authority.
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The words that are about to come forth are profitable,
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so we would do well to listen.
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So let's do that.
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Let's begin starting in verse 3,
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and see what he begins to teach the people.
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Verse 3 says,
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And he told them many things in parables,
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saying,
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A sower went out to sow.
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This image would be quite familiar to the listeners,
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and they would have easily pictured a farmer
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utilizing what is known as broadcast sowing.
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This is taking seed by hand
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and then scattering it over the surface of the field.
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In this context,
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the most common seed would probably have been some kind of wheat or barley,
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and that was very common in that region.
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Jesus then goes on to talk about where these seeds fall.
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And that will be where we take most of our time,
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and how we will unpack the rest of our text.
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We're going to talk about,
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firstly, the soils.
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That will be our first point,
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is the soils.
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And then secondly,
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we'll have the interpretation.
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We'll talk about the situations that are presented to us as they come,
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and then we'll discuss their meaning afterwards.
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So, point number one,
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we have the soils.
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Starting in verse 4,
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Jesus says,
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So, our first soil that we're going to talk about is the path.
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The first soil will be the path.
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This is found in verse 4.
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See, these types of paths would have been all over the area.
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With much of the land being used for farming,
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these paths were used to cut between plots of land during travel,
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either from one farm to another,
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or just simply going through the country.
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They were well used,
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and the dirt on it would be well packed down,
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and pretty hard.
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The seeds fell on the ground,
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and do not find soil to be in good condition.
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It's too hard to penetrate,
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and so they remain on the surface.
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This allows birds to come and eat.
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And in addition to that,
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Luke, in his account,
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mentions that not only did the birds eat,
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but the seeds were also trampled underfoot
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by some of those travelers.
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In other words,
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the seed has no chance to take any root.
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So that is the path.
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Our second point under soils
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is the rocky ground.
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This is found in verses 5 through 6.
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Now, when you think of rocky ground,
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you might, as I did at first,
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think of soil that has just a bunch of rocks in it.
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And this was not the type of rocky ground
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that Jesus was referring to.
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Rather, in that region,
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it was common that the bedrock was quite high
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and allowed for little depth of soil.
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This stone, probably limestone,
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would lead to shallow ground,
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where plants would have difficulty
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finding any actual depth,
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and the roots, therefore,
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would have a difficult time accessing nutrients.
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What looked initially like a promising and healthy plant
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that were growing at a remarkable rate
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would be dead and withered away
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not long after the sun scorched it,
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resulting in a dead plant.
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This brings us to our third type of soil.
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We had the path, the rocky ground,
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and now we have the thorns.
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This is found in verse 7, the thorns.
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This seed falls into an area
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where there are competing plants to worry about.
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It is less that the thorns grow around it
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and literally cut and choke the plant,
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and more likely that they would have been
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competing thorns around it
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and simply blocks too much sunlight,
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used too much water,
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or literally entangled its roots
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with the roots of the good plant.
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The soil might have been healthy.
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It might have even been the best soil of them so far.
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But the thorn plants grew along it
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so that the good plant ended up
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producing nothing worthwhile.
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The case in all three of the previous soils
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and the commonality between them
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is that they had no yield or fruit.
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Notice the progression of the three.
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The first had no chance to begin at all.
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The second started but withered away,
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and the last grew some
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but ended up producing nothing.
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A good harvest cannot be gained
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in any of these cases,
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and all three are going to fail
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to produce anything worthwhile.
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Jesus mentions one other thing,
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and we'll see that in verse 8.
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He says,
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Other seeds fell on good soil
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and produced grain,
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some a hundredfold,
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some sixty,
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some thirty.
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That brings us to our last
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and final type of soil,
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and that is the good soil.
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The good soil.
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Unlike the other types,
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in this circumstance,
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the seeds fall on the ground
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in good soil and produce a crop.
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There are nutrients,
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water, sunlight,
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and no competition.
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The plants not only grew,
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but produced a significant crop
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with varying levels
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of a hundred, sixty, and thirty fold.
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This is the main difference
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between that soil
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and the previous three.
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These produce a grain.
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Jesus then ends the telling
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of the parable
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with the phrase in verse 9,
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He who has ears,
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let him hear.
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Stealing a bit from verse 10,
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the narrative continues,
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because the disciples
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seemed to know
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that Jesus was talking
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about more than just
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the forming practices
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of the day.
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They ended up coming to him
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and asked him,
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Why do you speak to them
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in parables?
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This is a good question,
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as Matthew records
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that following this parable
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and the explanation
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that Jesus gives,
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then places three more parables
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before the crowd.
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In verse 24, 31, and 33.
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And then ends in verse 34,
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or Matthew ends in verse 34,
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saying,
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All these things Jesus said
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to the crowds in parables.
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Indeed, he said nothing to them
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without a parable.
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The disciples are curious
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why Jesus would use this method
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when it was clear
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the crowd would not be able
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to hear and understand.
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The answer seems initially
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pretty unfair.
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Jesus tells them in verse 11,
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To you, that is the disciples,
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it has been given to know
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the secrets of the kingdom
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of heaven,
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but to them it has not been given.
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TJ talked in depth
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about the purpose of parables
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last week,
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so I will not go
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in that depth today.
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But to answer the disciples' question,
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remember,
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parables are the method
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that Jesus often employed
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to share the mysteries
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of the kingdom.
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To some,
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the knowledge of the kingdom
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was given,
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and to others,
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it was not.
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Both divine sovereignty
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and human responsibility
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are on display
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simultaneously here.
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So, from a narrative perspective,
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picture the distinction
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that Matthew is displaying for us.
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You not only have the crowd
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separated from Jesus
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physically by the shore
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and by the boat,
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but the disciples,
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close enough to ask Jesus
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these questions,
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showing the distinction
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in knowledge.
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Many of the people
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on the shore
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will not understand,
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and all the while,
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he is revealing to the disciples
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the true meaning.
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It is a visual portrayal
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of the parable itself
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in action,
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and begins to provide
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our explanation
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on the polarizing response
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that he is beginning
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to receive.
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We will see exactly
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how this parable
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explains the distinction more
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as we continue
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to our second point,
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and that is
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the interpretation.
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So, we had the first point
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talking about the different
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types of soil.
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Now, we will get
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into the interpretation.
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Before we do,
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let's see how Jesus
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interprets the parable.
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Starting in verse 18,
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he says,
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this evil one comes
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and snatches away
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what has been sown
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in his heart.
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This is what was sown
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along the path.
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As for what was sown
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on rocky ground,
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this is the one
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who hears the word
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and immediately receives it
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with joy,
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yet has no root
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in himself,
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but endures for a while,
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and when tribulation
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or persecution arises
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on account of the word,
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immediately he falls away.
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As for what was sown
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among thorns,
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this is the one
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who hears the word,
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but the cares of the world
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and the deceitfulness
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of riches choke the word
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and it proves unfruitful.
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Before we get
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into the interpretation,
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I said we would,
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but before we get
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into that,
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first,
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notice that Jesus
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tells us the seed
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is the word of the kingdom.
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Mark makes it
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even more clear
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by telling us
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that the seed
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that the sower sows
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is the word,
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and Luke simply says
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the seed is the word of God.
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This word is the message
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about Jesus Christ.
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He himself says
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in John 5,
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you search the scriptures
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because you think
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that in them
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you have eternal life,
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and it is they
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that bear witness
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about me.
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So,
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the seed is the word
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that takes root
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in the soil.
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The soil are examples
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of different types
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of hearts.
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When talking about
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the soil on the path,
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Jesus says the evil one
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comes and snatches away
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what has been sown
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in his heart.
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The heart seems
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to be the place
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that the sower
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sows the seed.
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The sower
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is the one
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who is spreading
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the word of the kingdom
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to different types
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of people.
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In this case,
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the primary sower
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in our passage
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is Jesus himself.
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He is the ultimate sower,
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and as the word
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made flesh,
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are the ultimate seed.
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Any believer
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who sows Christ's word
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is doing so
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in the sower role
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on the Lord's behalf.
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There is a sense
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that this is a timeless
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ongoing action
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of sowing and growing
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when he uses the phrase
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when anyone hears the word.
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It implies a sower
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and then someone
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to hear that.
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And this word
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of the kingdom
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is referring to the time
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when Jesus is reigning
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as king on the throne,
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but his kingdom
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not fully realized.
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In this parable,
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Jesus has revealed
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for us
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some of the expectation
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we should have
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about the age
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of the church.
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So,
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with all that in mind,
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now let's look at
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Jesus' explanation
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about the different soils.
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And while doing so,
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take a moment
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to see how we might
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apply this teaching
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to our lives.
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So,
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under interpretation,
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we have the first type,
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and that is the path.
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It's going to be very similar
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to the previous soils
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because they follow
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one to one.
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So,
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the first one
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will be the path,
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and that's found
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in verse 19.
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These are those
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who hear the word
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and do not understand.
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There's nothing wrong
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with the message.
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The seed was not defective
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or something like that,
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but rather,
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the issue is the hardness
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of the person's heart.
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They are not interested
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in anything regarding
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the gospel message
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or of who God is.
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They are the person
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who thinks the message
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to be foolish,
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all the while,
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they are the fool
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who says in his heart,
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there is no God.
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The person is prideful,
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self-righteous,
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and under the impression
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that they do not need God.
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There's also a quickness
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in the word snatch
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that Jesus uses
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when he says,
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the evil one comes
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and snatches away
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what has been sown
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in his heart.
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The evil one takes
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no chances
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and ensures
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that there is
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zero opportunity
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for a root
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to even begin
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to take root.
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This person will surround
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him or herself
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with teachers
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to suit their own passions
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and assure themselves
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that everything is okay,
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that they are an amazing person
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and no need for approval
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from some God.
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They have all they need
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right here and now,
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be it fame,
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money, power,
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comfort, praise,
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or even a type
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of self-righteousness.
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Different though
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from the thorns,
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these vices serve less
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as a distraction
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and more the main focus.
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There's no second thought
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about the message at all.
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The word is given to them
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and it immediately
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just bounces off.
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The gospel absolutely
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has the power to save them,
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but their heart is too hard
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to acknowledge
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their own need
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for a savior.
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There is a sense
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that this person
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is unconcerned
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because there's nothing
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in their minds
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to be concerned about.
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The question for us is,
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do you give up
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on this type of person?
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I know that I am tempted
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to do so,
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but the reality is
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we are not responsible
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for the response
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of this person.
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We are simply called
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to provide a faithful
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presentation of the message.
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God can soften any heart
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regardless of how packed
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down and hard
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the soil might be.
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Our work is to pray
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for the Lord
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to change their heart
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so that they might be able
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to hear and understand.
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Ezekiel 36, 26 says,
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and I will give you
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a new heart
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and a new spirit
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I will put within you
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and I will remove
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the heart of stone
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from your flesh
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and give you
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a heart of flesh.
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And I will put my spirit
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within you
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and cause you
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to walk in my statutes
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and be careful
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to obey my rules.
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It is God
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who does this work.
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Our next type of soil
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that we are going
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to interpret is,
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as you guessed,
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the rocky ground.
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This is found
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in verses 20 and 21.
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The rocky ground
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is the person
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that has much initial
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emotional excitement.
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Notice the term
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immediately,
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it is happening quickly.
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And Matthew wants us
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to see the speed
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at which this person
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accepts the message.
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This response
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often results
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in happiness and joy
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as they accept it,
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as his or her feelings
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are changed by the word
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at a breakneck speed.
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What a difference
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from the previous soil, right?
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Like, this is great.
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But it is short-lived.
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They have heard
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and even received
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but never fully understood.
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There is no true
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change of heart.
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And if we follow
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the parable,
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it is even worse
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than we think,
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as the hardness
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from the dirt
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in the first type
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of soil,
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is nothing compared
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to the hardness
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of heart that we find
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in the rocky depths
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of this ground.
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Their heart is as hard
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as stone,
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with no marks
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of true remorse
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for sin.
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There is no repentance,
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no brokenness,
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and no humility.
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The thing that causes
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the person with rocky soil
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to fall away,
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as Jesus says,
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is persecution
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and trials.
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Just as quickly
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as this person accepts,
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notice the other
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immediately,
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so immediately they accept
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and immediately
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they fall away,
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is this persecution.
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Anyone who accepts
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the word, though,
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we're reminded,
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is promised this trouble.
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Paul reminds us
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in 2 Timothy 3,
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Indeed,
20:10
all who desire
20:12
to live a godly life
20:13
in Christ Jesus
20:13
will be persecuted,
20:15
while evil people
20:16
and imposters
20:16
will go on
20:17
from bad to worse,
20:18
deceiving
20:18
and being deceived.
20:20
The problem is that
20:21
they have not firmly believed,
20:23
and since they have not
20:23
firmly believed,
20:24
they are not encouraged
20:25
by the sanctification
20:26
and growth
20:27
that comes after persecution.
20:28
1 Peter 5 reminds us,
20:31
After you have suffered
20:32
a little while,
20:33
the God of all grace,
20:34
who has called you
20:34
to his eternal glory
20:35
in Christ,
20:36
will himself restore,
20:37
confirm,
20:38
strengthen,
20:39
and establish you.
20:40
What causes the unbeliever
20:42
to fall away
20:42
as quickly as they came
20:44
is what actually
20:44
increases the faith
20:46
of a true believer.
20:49
This shallow acceptance
20:50
that we're talking about
20:51
is often the result
20:52
of a shallow
20:52
gospel presentation
20:53
by those that may
20:55
let a person know
20:55
about the benefits
20:56
of salvation,
20:57
but fail to talk
20:58
about the cost.
21:00
They focus on things
21:01
like being saved
21:02
from hell
21:02
or a vague idea
21:03
of the love of Jesus,
21:04
but no mention
21:05
of repenting from sin,
21:06
dying to self,
21:08
or what Christ's love
21:08
has actually accomplished.
21:11
In Matthew 16, 24,
21:12
Jesus tells us that
21:13
if anyone would come
21:14
after me,
21:14
let him deny himself
21:16
and take up his cross
21:16
and follow me.
21:18
For whoever would lose,
21:19
or whoever would save
21:20
his life,
21:20
he will lose it.
21:21
Whoever loses his life
21:23
for my sake
21:23
will find it.
21:24
This is the type of heart
21:25
that we're looking for.
21:27
John MacArthur
21:28
on this type of person
21:29
says in his commentary,
21:31
he has come to Christ
21:32
for what he thought
21:32
he would get
21:33
in the way of personal benefit,
21:35
but when confronted
21:36
with the high cost
21:36
of salvation,
21:37
he will not pay the price.
21:39
He's built his religious house
21:40
on the sand
21:41
of emotional experience,
21:42
and when the storms
21:43
of affliction
21:44
or persecution
21:44
beat on his house,
21:45
it crumbles
21:46
and washes away.
21:48
He has the foliage
21:49
of a religious experience,
21:50
but has no root
21:51
in spiritual reality,
21:52
and therefore cannot
21:53
produce spiritual fruit,
21:55
which, as Jesus goes on
21:56
to say,
21:57
is the only reliable evidence
21:58
of true conversion.
22:01
Our question for today
22:02
is,
22:02
does your life show
22:04
this evidence of fruit,
22:05
or are you simply
22:06
writing a religious experience?
22:08
If you have no concept
22:10
of dealing with your sin
22:11
or of having a true desire
22:13
to seek after God,
22:14
to know him by his word,
22:15
then you might know
22:16
something about God,
22:17
but do not know
22:18
the salvation
22:18
that this text
22:19
is referring to.
22:21
Do you perhaps know
22:22
others in this situation?
22:24
Are you being open
22:25
and honest with them
22:26
about it?
22:27
These interactions
22:28
need to be handled
22:28
with the utmost love
22:30
and care for sure,
22:31
but all these conversations
22:32
must be guided by truth.
22:34
If a life is not
22:35
evidenced by fruit
22:36
and it is hard
22:36
to find genuine faith,
22:37
the most unloving thing
22:39
that you can do
22:39
is allow them
22:40
to continue believing a lie.
22:45
Brings us to our next
22:46
type of soil
22:46
that's found in verse 22,
22:48
and that is the thorns.
22:50
So we're back with the thorns.
22:54
This person finds the world
22:55
to be more interesting
22:56
than the things of God.
22:58
Perhaps in the beginning
22:58
they grow well
22:59
and there's some promise,
23:00
but there are weeds
23:01
and thorns in the picture
23:02
that grow up with the plant.
23:05
Think of the man
23:05
with many possessions
23:06
and so turn back
23:07
from following Jesus.
23:08
But what started
23:09
as a healthy shoot
23:10
beginning to rise up
23:12
starts to weaken
23:13
and they become
23:14
more and more consumed
23:15
with other things.
23:17
Soon enough,
23:17
they find that they have
23:18
no need for the good word
23:19
when they have the world
23:20
to fulfill their needs.
23:22
All the while,
23:23
not knowing,
23:24
those needs
23:24
will never be filled
23:25
by the world
23:26
with true satisfaction.
23:28
The plant is all but
23:29
choked to death.
23:30
Their faith fails
23:31
because they're caught up
23:32
in the care of the world
23:33
and the deceitfulness
23:34
of riches.
23:36
The true difference
23:37
between the thorns
23:38
and the path
23:38
come from that initial response.
23:41
While those on the path
23:41
don't consider it long enough
23:43
to make any difference,
23:45
those in the thorns
23:46
initially show promise
23:47
for however long or short.
23:49
Even the rich young man
23:50
was willing to follow Christ
23:51
until, of course,
23:52
he learned
23:53
what the cost was.
23:56
1 John 2 reminds us,
23:57
Do not love the world
23:58
or the things in the world.
23:59
If anyone loves the world,
24:00
the love of the Father
24:01
is not in him.
24:03
For all that is in the world,
24:04
the desires of the flesh
24:05
and the desires of the eyes
24:06
and pride of life
24:07
is not from the Father
24:08
but is from the world.
24:10
And the world is passing away
24:11
along with its desires
24:12
but whoever does the will of God
24:14
abides forever.
24:16
At some point
24:17
in the life of a person
24:18
who has heard the word,
24:19
they will come to a moment
24:20
where they discover
24:21
that being in the world
24:22
and of the world
24:23
cannot happen simultaneously.
24:25
The person must forsake
24:26
one of the two
24:27
and prove to be
24:28
a true or false disciple.
24:30
I want to be careful
24:31
and I'm not saying
24:32
that this action
24:33
is what saves a person
24:34
but I am saying
24:35
that one who is saved
24:36
will prove to be saved
24:38
by not being of the world.
24:42
This soil can look
24:42
a little bit different too.
24:43
It can look like
24:44
the anxious one
24:45
from Matthew 6
24:46
asking,
24:47
What shall we eat?
24:48
What shall we drink?
24:48
What shall we wear?
24:50
Throw in whatever question
24:51
of anxiety in there.
24:52
All the while
24:53
not remembering
24:53
that life is more than food
24:55
and the body
24:55
more than clothing.
24:57
Our Heavenly Father
24:58
feeds the birds of the air.
24:59
He clothes the grass
25:00
of the field
25:01
so there is no need
25:02
to be anxious about life
25:03
and ask such questions.
25:05
Our Heavenly Father
25:06
knows that we need them all.
25:08
Jesus calls us
25:08
to do one thing
25:09
in verse 33 of chapter 6.
25:11
Seek first the kingdom of God
25:13
and his righteousness
25:13
and all these things
25:15
will be added to you.
25:17
My encouragement
25:18
for this person
25:18
is not to give in
25:20
to temptation.
25:22
Even if what in front of you
25:23
might seem good
25:24
or be an important thing
25:25
to be concerned about
25:26
if it pulls you away
25:27
from Christ
25:28
it is not of the kingdom.
25:31
So in the case
25:32
of all three previous soils
25:33
the path,
25:34
the rocks,
25:34
and the thorns
25:35
the point is
25:37
I'm sure that you've seen
25:38
is that we see
25:39
no fruit.
25:41
The parable
25:41
gives us
25:41
harvest.
25:43
In all cases
25:43
the seed was not able
25:44
to take root,
25:45
grow,
25:45
or produce.
25:47
In other words,
25:48
they were not able
25:49
to hear,
25:50
understand,
25:50
and believe.
25:53
So,
25:54
what would it look like
25:55
for a seed
25:56
to take root?
25:58
Before we look
25:58
at what Jesus says,
26:00
let's first look
26:01
at John 15,
26:02
verse 5 says,
26:03
I am the vine,
26:04
you are the branches.
26:05
Whoever abides in me
26:06
and I am him,
26:07
he it is that bears
26:08
much fruit.
26:09
For apart from me
26:09
you can do nothing.
26:10
By this my Father
26:12
is glorified,
26:12
that you bear much fruit
26:14
and so prove
26:14
to be my disciples.
26:16
In this passage
26:17
from John,
26:18
not only is there
26:18
language of bearing fruit
26:19
as being the sign
26:20
of true discipleship,
26:21
but also the exclusive
26:22
nature of the relationship.
26:25
There's only those
26:25
who abide in Christ.
26:27
And who are those
26:27
that abide in Christ?
26:29
Those whose heart
26:30
has received the word
26:31
and accepted it.
26:32
And what do those
26:33
people look like?
26:34
Matthew tells us,
26:35
starting in verse 23.
26:37
As for what was
26:38
sown on good soil,
26:39
this is the one
26:40
who hears the word
26:41
and understands it.
26:42
He indeed bears fruit
26:43
and yields,
26:44
in one case a hundredfold,
26:45
and another sixty,
26:46
and another thirty.
26:48
This is our last type
26:49
of soil under interpretation,
26:52
and it is the good soil.
26:54
The good soil.
26:57
All of the other soils
26:58
heard the word,
26:59
but the difference
26:59
in this one
27:00
is understanding.
27:01
This soil has been
27:02
prepared by the Spirit
27:03
and therefore able
27:04
to receive the word.
27:06
And this is not a work
27:07
of that person
27:07
or the soil.
27:09
John 16, 8 says,
27:10
and when he comes,
27:11
that is the Spirit,
27:12
that's what he was
27:12
talking about,
27:13
he will convict the world
27:14
concerning sin
27:15
and righteousness
27:15
and judgment.
27:17
The Spirit is the one
27:18
that does this.
27:18
It is not because
27:19
of anything more amazing
27:20
or good that someone
27:21
has done to receive
27:22
this conviction,
27:22
it is simply by grace.
27:26
There are those
27:26
who have received
27:27
the word,
27:28
these are the ones
27:28
who have received
27:29
the word of God
27:30
and understood.
27:31
They not only know
27:31
stuff about God,
27:32
the difference,
27:33
if you remember,
27:33
is not knowledge,
27:34
but commitment.
27:36
This commitment
27:36
produces joy
27:37
and that produces
27:38
action and that
27:39
leads to proclamation.
27:42
This is the sign
27:43
of a true believer
27:44
and what it means
27:44
to yield fruit.
27:46
In Galatians,
27:47
Paul tells us
27:48
exactly what this fruit
27:49
should look like.
27:50
He says,
27:51
but the fruit of the Spirit
27:52
is what?
27:53
Love,
27:54
joy,
27:54
peace,
27:55
patience,
27:56
kindness,
27:56
goodness,
27:57
faithfulness,
27:58
gentleness,
27:58
and self-control.
28:00
This fruit leads them
28:01
to become sowers as well,
28:03
sowing the seed
28:04
of the word of God
28:05
and inviting others
28:06
to true life.
28:08
These are those
28:08
who respond,
28:09
God,
28:10
be merciful to me,
28:11
a sinner.
28:14
See,
28:14
Jesus' kingdom came
28:15
not through
28:16
a conquering king
28:17
like Israel expected,
28:19
but as a baby
28:19
born in a stable.
28:21
He came not to be saved
28:22
or serve,
28:23
but to serve,
28:24
to give his life
28:25
as a ransom for many.
28:27
Jesus Christ served
28:28
not only in his long
28:29
days of ministry,
28:30
pouring out his life
28:31
for the disciples
28:32
and the people,
28:32
but ultimately
28:33
by dying on a cross
28:34
for us.
28:36
You see,
28:36
our hardened
28:37
or rocky
28:37
or choked hearts
28:38
are the result
28:38
of sin.
28:40
We are all sinners
28:40
before God
28:41
in need of his grace.
28:43
We are,
28:43
as Paul says in Ephesians,
28:45
dead in our trespasses
28:46
and sins.
28:47
We're following this world
28:48
and carrying out
28:48
the desires of the flesh
28:49
and the mind
28:50
and by nature
28:51
children of wrath.
28:53
This is the state
28:53
of all humanity
28:54
and this is the unproductive
28:56
soil that Jesus
28:57
is talking about.
28:58
We could not do the work
28:59
of becoming good soil
29:00
on our own.
29:01
It took God himself
29:03
through his son
29:03
to save us.
29:04
Paul continues
29:05
in verse 4 of Ephesians 2,
29:07
but God,
29:08
being rich in mercy
29:09
because of the great love
29:10
with which he loved us,
29:11
even when we were dead
29:12
in our trespasses,
29:13
made us alive together
29:14
with Christ.
29:15
It is by grace
29:16
you have been saved
29:17
through faith.
29:18
This is not your own doing,
29:19
this is a gift of God,
29:21
not a result of work
29:22
so that no one
29:23
may boast.
29:24
Christ is the only one
29:26
who can change your heart
29:27
and is more than capable
29:28
of doing so.
29:29
He can change your hard
29:30
or rocky
29:31
or thorn-infested heart
29:32
and cause the seed to grow,
29:34
for he is the one
29:35
that causes the growth.
29:36
He brings forth rain
29:37
and created the sun
29:38
to rise.
29:40
As a believer,
29:41
we become his workmanship,
29:43
created in Christ Jesus
29:44
for good works
29:45
which God prepared beforehand
29:46
that we should walk in them.
29:47
This is good fruit,
29:49
works that will ultimately
29:50
bring glory to God.
29:52
If this is a new word for you,
29:53
I would ask that you
29:54
turn to Christ
29:55
for the salvation
29:55
of your soul.
29:57
Do not let it bounce off,
29:58
but take time
29:59
to truly consider
30:00
these words
30:00
in the cost.
30:02
This is also
30:03
an encouragement
30:04
for Jesus' disciples
30:05
and for us.
30:06
It would seem
30:07
that we may serve
30:08
in different measures,
30:09
some 100,
30:09
some 60,
30:10
and some 30,
30:12
but it would also seem
30:13
that we are called
30:14
to be sowers
30:14
in some capacity
30:15
or another.
30:17
Jesus provides
30:18
a promise
30:18
that through the sowing
30:19
that there will be
30:20
those who truly believe.
30:22
Think about that.
30:23
What an encouragement.
30:24
He is promising
30:25
that those who hear word
30:26
will accept it
30:27
and believe.
30:29
Jesus is promising
30:29
that in this age
30:30
we will encounter
30:31
those who will not
30:32
accept the message.
30:33
This is for sure.
30:34
He is promising
30:34
this distinction
30:35
and all of the difficulties
30:36
with it.
30:37
But by promising
30:38
that distinction,
30:39
he is also promising us
30:40
that seed will bear fruit.
30:43
He is promising us
30:43
that there will be
30:44
those who hear,
30:45
understand,
30:46
commit,
30:46
and also join in
30:48
proclaiming,
30:49
resulting in a great
30:49
harvest of faith
30:50
through the fruit
30:51
of their lives.
30:53
Isaiah 55,
30:54
verse 11 says,
30:56
For as the rain
30:56
and the snow
30:57
come down from heaven
30:58
and do not return,
30:59
there,
31:00
but water the earth,
31:01
making it bring forth
31:02
and sprout,
31:03
giving seed to the sower
31:04
and bread to the eater,
31:05
so shall my word be
31:06
that goes out of my mouth.
31:08
It shall not reach,
31:09
I sent it.
31:10
We are not able
31:11
to discern exactly
31:12
where all the seed
31:13
will go.
31:14
Only God knows
31:14
and changes hearts.
31:16
We are able
31:17
to be faithful
31:17
in proclaiming
31:18
to as many
31:18
as would hear it.
31:20
Jesus does not tell us
31:21
that the sower
31:22
was selective
31:22
with the seed.
31:23
Instead,
31:24
he distributed
31:24
in such a way
31:25
that the seed
31:25
would fall
31:25
on a variety
31:26
of different types
31:27
of soil.
31:28
What you might
31:29
perceive as difficult
31:31
soil or hard soil
31:32
might not be so.
31:34
Only God truly
31:34
knows a person's heart.
31:36
1 Samuel 16
31:37
reminds us,
31:38
For the Lord sees
31:38
not as man sees,
31:40
for man looks
31:41
on the outward appearance,
31:41
but the Lord
31:42
looks on the heart.
31:44
We are simply
31:45
to go as far
31:45
and wide as possible,
31:46
spreading the good seed
31:47
of the kingdom
31:48
to all soil.
31:50
For us,
31:50
we are to pray
31:51
that God would give us
31:52
the heart to do that
31:53
and for the different
31:54
types of soil
31:54
we encounter.
31:56
The Lord is able
31:56
to take that hard soil
31:57
and till it.
31:58
He can remove the stone
31:59
that is under the surface
32:00
and he can also
32:01
weed out the garden.
32:03
Our job as a sower
32:04
is to be faithful
32:05
in the proclamation
32:05
of the word,
32:06
knowing that it is the Lord
32:08
that gives the growth.
32:10
1 Corinthians 3.6 says,
32:11
I,
32:12
this is Paul talking,
32:13
planted,
32:14
Apollos watered,
32:14
but God gave the growth.
32:18
I want to end
32:19
with a quote
32:21
from Spurgeon.
32:22
He's talking about
32:23
the parable of the sower
32:23
in this.
32:24
And he says,
32:25
The preacher of the gospel
32:26
is like the sower.
32:28
He does not make his seed.
32:30
It is given him
32:31
by his divine master.
32:32
No man could create
32:33
the smallest grain
32:34
that ever grew
32:35
upon the earth,
32:36
much less
32:37
the celestial seed
32:38
of eternal life.
32:39
The minister goes
32:40
to his master in secret
32:41
and asks him
32:42
to teach him the gospel.
32:44
And thus he fills his basket
32:45
with the good seed
32:46
of the kingdom.
32:47
He then goes forth
32:48
in his master's name
32:49
and scatters
32:49
precious truth.
32:51
If he knew where
32:52
the best soil
32:52
was to be found,
32:53
perhaps he might
32:54
limit himself
32:55
to that which had been
32:56
prepared by the plow
32:57
of conviction.
32:58
But not knowing
32:59
men's hearts,
33:00
it is his business
33:00
to preach the gospel
33:01
to every creature,
33:02
to throw a handful
33:03
on the hardened heart
33:05
and another
33:05
on the mind
33:06
which has overgrown
33:07
the cares and pleasures
33:08
of the world.
33:10
He has to leave the seed
33:11
in the care of the Lord
33:12
who gave it to him,
33:15
for he is not responsible
33:16
for the harvest.
33:17
He is only accountable
33:18
for the care
33:18
and industry
33:19
with which he does
33:20
his work.
33:22
Let's pray.
33:22
Let's pray.