Sexagesima
Notes
Transcript
Sowing the Word
Sowing the Word
Grace mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today as we look at the Gospel Lesson and Christ’s parable of the Sower. This passage is one that is focused on a topic that very few Christians are eager to engage in, one that makes us grow a bit downtrodden and upset, but one that all of us have witnessed as the years have gone. It has to do with conversion, and not only conversion, but also those who blossom to life in Christ, and then fall away.
So we want to take some time to look at this passage for as we do, you will undoubtedly recognize folks that we personally know who have gone through these stages and you will also recognize those times when you yourself have encountered these problems. We also want to spend a bit of time talking about the heartache we have when people we care about deeply walk off or fall away from the faith.
It is important that we look at the meaning behind this parable which thankfully Jesus gives to the disciples that they might see and understand, and has been written down for you that you may see and understand the difficulty there is in sharing the Word of God which is the seed that is scattered upon all these “fields.”
Well the first field is a path, where the seed gets trampled and the birds eat it. The Word in this case does not get the chance to take root at all because the devil does not wish people to believe and be saved.
Now the devil does this through various means, means that are not so apparent. The Word of God is trampled underfoot by false teachers who spread lies about what it is that God has said or mislead people. This also happens to folks who sit in Christian congregations and think well I have already learned enough about God and the Bible, and physically they are present, but mentally they are gone, and they cannot tell what the lessons on a Sunday were or what the sermon was about. This how it can happen to folks who have been faithful members of Churches for years, and yet because they were content to just passively in the church without engaging, the joy of the Gospel never really took root in their heart.
So if you believe you know everything there is to know about the Bible or find church boring, this is you. The is the devil working hard that you may not believe the Word of God and be saved. So repent accordingly and listen to the Word and take it to heart.
This first group though isn’t the one that vexes us, although we should certainly be concerned about them, but these next two are the ones that cause us concern. Those who fall away during a time of testing, and those who are choked by cares, riches, and the pleasures of life. That is because these are the folks that we see sprout up and grow and blossom and join us joyfully for a time, until they fall away.
These are the ones that we miss, the ones that we long to join with them again in prayer and song in the house of the Lord. In these cases its folks who connect with the word in the second and they have great joy, but their faith doesn’t have any deep roots to bear through times of drought or heat. This refers to those times in which Christians go without joy, and suffer hardship. This is the sad state when we teach folks that Christianity is just about feeling good, then when the troubles come it will be difficult to stay in the faith, the trials are the drought.
Then there is the heat of persecution when they suffer harm, insult, disgrace, loss of property, and even life for the faith, and when faced with these things they fall away. They don’t have enough root to stay firm, these would be folks that as long as there is no hardship or difficulty in being Christian they are more than willing to be called Christian, but the minute they might suffer for it, they abandon the faith.
The next group are those who do not make it, not because of overt persecution and hardship, but instead the riches and comforts of this world grow up and choke out the faith. What does that mean?
They chase after the treasures of this life, building up what moth and rust destroy neglecting the matters that are eternal. They neglect the true treasures that they have in Christ from God, and allow earthly treasures to fill their hearts. Now these things are often dressed up as positive things by the world. Is being hard working a bad thing? Is it bad to spend time with family? Or even to have a bit of time to de-stress and relax just a bit? Or even to go out fishing or hunting? are these bad things on their own? Not at all, but they can choke out the faith when these good things become more important than the Word.
Now before we deal with the final field, the one that bears much fruit, we should pause for a moment and consider when this has happened not only to those we love, but also to us. We are not immune to it, indeed when we are kids it is hard to pay attention and the Word is snatched away from us. We’ve fallen victim to false teachings, God willing not from the pulpit, but when people talk about religion, did we check and see if what they said was actually true? Have we set aside time to dig into the Bible, and learn what God has said, or do we let that time we might read the Word of God be snatched by our phones, tv shows, or just idling away?
In terms of boldness in standing up for the world, have we always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks us for the reason of the hope that we have, or have we gone along with the crowd so we wouldn’t be mocked or insulted. We want people we like to think well of us, and so did we down play our faith for the favor of men? Finally, the cares of this life. Have we put earthly cares, riches, and pleasures first in this life? So we who should be strong Christians have not yet born fruit?
All of us are guilty of this, and if you think you are not, then you are better than even the disciples. Who fell victim to these same struggles, the disciples who didn’t listen to Christ’s words about His suffering and death, who ran away from Jesus when their life was in danger, and then even there was Judas who valued money more than truth.
We need to understand that these temptations affect us all, and why it is that they tempt us. For then we can understand why those ones we care about have fallen away. For Jesus himself gives 3 different cases, and if you listen to the reasons that folks don’t believe or fall away from Christ, it falls into one of these 3.
But there is a 4th field, and this field is an honest and good heart. Where the seed takes root and grows. Now you might think well don’t the Scriptures say that the heart of man is evil from his youth. So where does this good heart common from if a man is by nature sinful and unclean? Indeed man’s heart from the moment of conception is sinful, but the Spirit of God working through the Word gives this gift, and washes away their sins and iniquities creates a new heart.
These last 3 fields are all hearts that have been prepared by the Holy Spirit. Each one is a Christian, a convert, but the first 2 ran into some trouble. The heart of it being that they did not hold on to the Word, which is to say, they did not take it deep within their heart in the second field and they only considered the faith superficial, and in the third, they thought the weeds looked prettier than what was supposed to grow.
But I would encourage you as we witnessed in the disciples that even if those fields have become overgrown, the plants have withered, or perhaps soil looks hard as rock. If the Spirit could restore the hearts of the disciples and countless Christians throughout the centuries, and even give a new heart to you. Then he can do the same for those that we love and care about that have fallen away.
The Spirit does that through the Word, the same way that He brought us to faith. So, don’t give up on sharing the Word with them, and teach them to treasure it, when weeds of cares and riches rise up, bring to them the Law, when they are tempted to only let the word penetrate an inch below the surface, remind them that plants with shallow roots do not survive, let that Word root deeply in your heart, that they may not fall away. Should their hearts be hard as stone, trust that the Spirit of God can break the stone that you cannot, and turn it into fertile soil. He will work in His own time, but you just sow and share the Word so that no matter how much seed is stolen away should even a single seed fall into good earth, it will bear abundant fruit. Then we all rejoice.
My Brothers and Sisters, hear the Word, and hold it fast in the good and honest heart you have been given by God. Do not give up hope on your loved ones that have fallen away, for God did not forsake you when you fell, but He sent someone to sow the Word for you, and you can do the same for them. In Jesus name. Amen.