Sermon Tone Analysis

How to Live a Fruitful Life for Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared April 28, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 13.

Today in vs. 1-23, we will take another look at one of the Lord's parables.

These were the earthly stories Jesus told that also had a heavenly meaning, and we have already studied ten parables in Matthew's Gospel.

But this parable is different, because it was the first time Jesus told a parable not only to reveal knowledge to His followers, but also to conceal knowledge from His enemies.

*Here Jesus concealed spiritual truth from the hardhearted scribes and Pharisees who had so thoroughly rejected the Lord.

Matthew 12:14 tells us that the Pharisees had already begun plotting how to kill Jesus.

And on the same day Jesus told this parable, Matthew 12:22-32 tells us that some of the Pharisees committed the unforgivable sin by blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

*By this time, Jesus had already worked countless miracles, but their blind hatred made it impossible for those men to see that Jesus Christ was the future Savior, and King prophesied in the Old Testament.

*Isaiah 55:6-7 urges us to "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."

But in Genesis 6:3 the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever.”

*There is an invisible line that men cross over, where all hope is gone.

It was too late for those scribes and Pharisees.

They had no desire to trust in the Lord Jesus, and they never would.

That's why Jesus began to conceal His truth from these Christ-haters.

*And this was the setting in Matthew 13 when Jesus told His parable of the seed and the soils.

But the story of this parable shows Christians how to have a fruitful life for our Savior.

Please think about this as we read Matthew 13:1-23.

MESSAGE:

*When I was a boy living in Daytona Beach, we had two grapefruit trees growing in our small backyard.

Sounds like a good thing, but those trees were a hassle for me and my brother Jon.

*No offense, but no matter how much sugar you put on a grapefruit, it still tastes like grapefruit, right?

It tasted pretty yucky to me and my brother.

We did like to throw them at each other though, and we had some big "grapefruit wars" in that backyard.

But they were definitely a hassle to us.

Nobody wants hundreds of rotten grapefruit in their backyard.

And they make it super hard to cut the grass, so we had to pick them up.

*Let me tell you that you can definitely have too much grapefruit!

But you can never have too much spiritual fruit for the Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants all Christians to have fruitful lives.

But what kind of fruit was Jesus talking about in this parable?

The New Testament shows us at least four different kinds of good spiritual fruit.

[1] THE FIRST IS HOLINESS AND GOODNESS, THE CHARACTER OF JESUS CHRIST.

*Romans 6:22 tells Christians, "Now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life."

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance."

And Ephesians 5:9 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is in all (that is, in all believers) goodness, righteousness and truth."

[2] THE SECOND KIND OF CHRISTIAN FRUIT IS OUR FINANCIAL GIVING.

*In Philippians 4:15-17, Paul said:

15.

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

16.

For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

17.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

[3] THE THIRD KIND OF CHRISTIAN FRUIT IS OUR HEARTFELT PRAISE TO GOD.

*Hebrews 13:15 says: "Therefore by Him (by Jesus) let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."

God wants all of us to be intentional about praising Him.

Praise Him when you first get up in the morning.

Praise Him in the shower.

Praise Him on the way to work.

Praise Him when you lay down at night.

*Praise the Lord!

Praise Him because He is always worthy of our praise.

Praise Him because it will cheer you up and ease your worries.

And praise the Lord because all of your heartfelt praise is spiritual fruit in your life.

[4] THE FOURTH KIND OF FRUIT IS THE ONE WE THINK OF THE MOST, AND THAT IS REACHING MORE PEOPLE FOR JESUS CHRIST.

*It is spreading the good news of forgiveness and eternal life through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Listen to the Lord in John 4:35-36.

There Jesus spoke to His disciples and asked:

35.

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

36.

And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."

*Then in Romans 1:13 Paul said: "Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you."

And why did Paul plan on going to Rome?

He said, "that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles."

*God wants all of us to have fruitful Christian lives.

And this farming parable can help us get there.

1. FIRST: WE NEED THE RIGHT SEED.

*In vs. 3-4, we see the farmer sowing his seed.

There Jesus spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.

And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them."

*Then in vs. 19 the Lord tells us what the seed is.

Here Jesus said, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This is he who received seed by the wayside."

*The seed in this parable is the "word of the Kingdom."

Luke 8:11 tells us that the seed is the Word of God, and there is nothing wrong with the seed!

God has proved His Word beyond measure for anyone who will take an honest look.

[1] ONE OF THE GREATEST PROOFS IS THE HUNDREDS OF OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES THAT HAVE ALREADY COME TRUE.

*Think for a moment how hard it is to predict the future.

We don't know what's going to happen in five minutes.

But Isaiah 46:9-10 tells us that God sees the end from the beginning.

And He has revealed it in His Word.

This includes all of the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus.

GotQuestions.org

tells us that Jesus fulfilled at least 300 of these prophecies during His earthly ministry, and other sources list more.

*For example, about 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah 7:14 gave this prophecy: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

*This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-22 where the Apostle reported:

18.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

19.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

20.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.''

22. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

23.

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,'' which is translated, "God with us.''

*Also about 700 years before Christ, Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.''

*This prophecy was fulfilled only because Caesar Augustus decided to tax all the people in the Roman Empire.

Otherwise, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth!

But Luke 2:1-6 says: