Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Spring weather, gardening soon to start, planting, etc. Parable of Sower.
Parables now moving to Kingdom growth and Kingdom living.
Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, healing, casting out demons.
Was also teaching in a house.
Went out of the house and sat by the sea.
Large crowds, so he got into a boat.
Matthew 13 is a series of parables, most are about planting, all deal with the response to and impact of the word of God being planted.
Parable of the soils is probably the most detailed parable, and the only one Jesus took the time to explain.
His disciples asked why He taught in parables and what this parable means.
As we said before, Jesus taught in parables in order to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom to His true disciples.
It is in a way a parable of parables.
Mark 4:13 How will you understand any parable?
– this parable seems to be a key to understanding the teaching of Jesus.
It explains how Jesus’ teaching is received.
And in the explanation it helps to understand how to interpret parables.
Consider the Sower
Re-read parable
Do you have a garden?
How do you plant?
Starter plants?
Rows, holes, furrows?
Throwing seeds?
This parable talks about seeds and soils, but begins by pointing to the sower
In His explanation Matthew 13:18 Listen to the parable of the sower.
Focus on sower.
The sower sows.
Duh.
Farmer, planter, sowing seeds.
Sowing = casting seed, then tilling it into the soil.
Broadcast.
Throwing the seed.
Who is the sower?
– initially, Jesus.
More broad understanding at end.
Understand the Seeds and Soils
Start into explanation - This is the meaning
Seed = v.11 word of God, or message of God.
message about Kingdom (cut the verse on the slide)
Jesus as the sower is planting the message from God about His Kingdom.
Where?
Soils = types of hearers and their responses to the message.
Path = hard.
Unprepared ground.
Hear but do not understand/comprehend/receive
Result –devil takes away message from heart So That may not believe and be saved.
Rock = shallow, hear, receive, believe for a while
Result – no root, fall away.
Impacted by outward pressures
– distress, persecution, testing because of message.
May be any of the things that press in on us like work problems, marriage problems, addictions, true persecution for faith.
Thorns = hear, receive, continue on.
Result – thorns choke out the message, no growth, no mature fruit.
Impacted by inward pressures
Thorns come as inward pressures – worries, riches, pleasures.
Heart attitudes that choke out transformation.
Could be good things as well.
Sports.
Shopping.
Work.
Hunting/fishing.
Trading out the best and settling for good.
Good soil = prepared soil, hear, understand, receive, grow.
Honest and good heart.
Result – hold on to message, endure, produce fruit, abundant results.
Summary - 4 soils, 4 types of hearers and 4 responses.
How Does Your Kingdom Grow?
Attempt to find application for this parable raises all sorts of questions.
Am I the sower?
Am I the soil?
What type of soil would I be?
Would I hope to be?
Is there something we can do to prepare the soil, break up the rocks, cut the thorns?
In the simplest understanding – Jesus is the sower, His message from the Father about the Kingdom falls on four types of soil.
Some don’t care, some will for a while, and some will be transformed.
In all of His teaching, this is to be expected.
Palm Sunday – Journey to the Cross.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
People expected Him to take over the throne, defeat Rome and rule the world.
Jesus’ purpose was different.
He came to die, to break the power of sin, to rise again to defeat death and give us life.
He also came to subversively plant the Kingdom in the hearts of people.
Not the overpowering ruler forcing compliance, but the servant King transforming the hearts of His people with love.
As He plants the kingdom, Jesus is preparing His disciples to be the sowers.
The result, fruit produced, is the growth of the Kingdom.
We will see this in some of the upcoming parables.
(not to be confused with the fruit of repentance of last week)
The sower sows.
It is up to the Holy Spirit to prepare the ground, break up the rocks of outward pressures, cut the thorns of inward pressures, and to produce the results.
The sower keeps growing and sowing.
Conclusion
As the hearer, we can also do our part to receive the message on a regular basis, to obey the message, and to remove the rocks and thorns holding us back.
As the sower, we keep growing and keep sowing.
Knowing that the results are up to the Holy Spirit takes the pressure off.
We can pray for people, we can make connections, and we can share a word of truth.
If there is a response, we share another word.
Pat Morley of Man in the Mirror says,
“Just take a man as far as he wants to go toward Jesus at that moment.
God is not holding you accountable to produce a particular outcome.
But He is expecting you to be faithful.”
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