Matthew chapter 13:1-9, 18-23 (continued)

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Great crowds assembled around Him, so that He went into a boat and sat there. And the whole assembly stood on the shore. Then He told them many things in parables, saying, ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. While he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

But other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they did not have deep soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they did not take root, they withered away. Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. But other seeds fell into good ground and produced grain: a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.’

Therefore listen to the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed beside the path. But he who received the seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while.

For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, eventually he falls away. He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. Some produce a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

Last time we discussed the importance of parables and that in them were hidden truths about the kingdom of heaven that Jesus wanted us to know. These truths are hidden from the Jews and when they read or hear these parables they are unable to understand what is being said. When Jews realize who Jesus is and trust Him as Savior, then the Holy Spirit in them allows them to read these parables and understand them. Parables are earthly stories with heavenly or spiritual lessons in them. Today we will look at one of the more famous parables, The Parable of the Sower.

We are privileged in that not only does Jesus speak the parable but He then gives the full interpretation for His disciples and to us today.  Today will not bring some new revelation that we have not seen before, rather it will be a reminder to us of the job we are called to do as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. This parable lays out the job of the New Testament church at its foundational levels.

Everything else we will do as the Lord’s churches will either fail or succeed based on this parable and the execution of its lessons. I do not think it an accident that Jesus made sure to explain this parable from it all the other parables are properly understood. Come sit with me for a few minutes on a Jewish hillside and listen to Jesus teach.

Three Parts, One Goal, Verses 3-4

In this parable there are three very important parts and they are essential for this parable to make any sense. We have the seed, the sower and the soil.  Without these three parts there is no parable. Without the seed, the sower has no job to do and without the soil he has nowhere to do his job.  Jesus will tell us later in verse 19 that the seed is the “word of the kingdom.”

We talk about what is important to us. I love football, so I watch the games and if there is conversation about football, I can join in and get my two cents in. Are we engaged with the same fervor in speaking about the kingdom of heaven? Are we fast to publicly give God praise and mention Him often?

Are our conversations peppered with grace and holiness? I am not talking about “lifestyle” evangelism where you live it but don’t speak it. I am talking about an all-consuming relationship with Jesus that pours out of your life and your conversation. You can’t help but talk about Jesus He is so real and present in your life.

The goal is to advertise the kingdom of heaven, to plant seeds in the minds and hearts of people about the kingdom of heaven. We spend a lot of time with people at work, or we often eat at the same restaurant, we go to the same gas station, shop at the same stores and attend our children’s sporting events. We have ample opportunities to sow seed

Let me give you an example that you will get from your everyday life. As you watch your favorite TV program you see commercials that tell you directly about a product like Coca-Cola or Pepsi, we get that. But we also get indirect advertising, we go to a basketball game and there are little signs on billboards or we see people wearing Pepsi shirts or we get a wrist band with the Coca-Cola logo and on and on we can go.

The idea is that these multinational corporations use any and all means to get the message of their kingdom out.  The Lord’s church should look at the ‘word of the kingdom’ with the same tenacity. It is our job to get the message out by all good means.  Whether it be by word of mouth, t-shirts, wristbands, billboards, TV Ads, handing out free Bibles, giving out tracts or by any and all means possible simply get the word out.

Once we have this singular determination in our mindset as New Testament churches we can go about the business of the kingdom. The complete central focus of any and all churches should be advertising for the kingdom of heaven. I know that this does not sound super-spiritual, BUT that is the job.

Often we forget that “church” is a business. It has a product, it needs consumers, we have a marketing plan and it is essential for us to market our product to keep the business alive by bringing in new ‘customers’ into the business. Once we have a customer we then work at keeping that customer loyal with our customer service, things like love, mercy, compassion, time, teaching, fellowship and forgiveness.

You see all too often we have “spiritualized” the work we are called to and it loses its sense of being practical. Jesus offered to the people of Israel a religion that they had never heard of before, one filled with love and compassion; one that could be lived by everyone not just the religious elite. This is the same kingdom that we offer. This parable is as relevant today as it was that sunny afternoon on a Jewish hillside.

The Seed, Verse 19

The “word of the Kingdom.” This is the seed that we have to sow with. Today we have the “word of the kingdom” in our Bibles. It is essential for us to be familiar with the message of the Bible. Over the past year or so I have challenged our folks here to read through the Bible “cover to cover.” Just start at one end and go to the other.

I have benefitted from this, I am on my second pass through but we have people in the Old Testament, the New Testament and making good and steady progress. Once one is able to see the continuity of the scriptures and to view the Bible as 66 books penned by the same author, one is then able to grasp the words and the word more securely.

Confidence is the biggest issue that many face in sharing the gospel. But let me add here that sharing the gospel is just a part of the “word of the kingdom.” The kingdom of heaven is bigger than the gospel itself, and it encompasses ALL OF OUR LIVES. And this is the biggest issue that most have with sharing the gospel, it is compartmentalized to “soul winning night” or the special outreach that we have planned, as opposed to it simply being a natural outflow of all that we are and do.

When we take the time to read about the men and women of the Bible we find that they were just like us. They failed and messed up and sinned just like us. What made them great was that they lived the message. God was their all and so it was natural to speak of His wonders and His glory and about the time He rescued them and healed them and fed them. And as they lived longer and longer they began to understand that God was the one who sustained them in every breath of life. This kind of total dependence becomes a way of life and thus the gospel becomes a natural expression of how we speak.

David did not have to think up the Psalms, they came from God yes, but more than that many of them were deep expressions of the relationship that he had with Jesus/God. This relationship shaped his childhood, his kingship and even his death.  It was impossible for him not to write about the Lord, it was all he knew and cared about. This is how we should be.

The seed should be spread everywhere we go simply because it is a natural fruit of our life in and with Jesus. Too many of us Christians know about Jesus but we do not know Jesus, thus it is unnatural to talk about Him. It was natural for the sower to take the seed, thus he is called a sower. He was familiar with the seed and the soil, he knew how to throw the seed for maximum effect and he understood that importance of saturation.

A marketing survey done in 2013 found that the average American watched 15 minutes and 38 seconds of commercials in the average one hour TV show. According to Yahoo Answers, the average commercial is anywhere from 15-30 seconds. So in the average one hour TV show we would see 31 commercials of the 30 second variety. They understand that saturation is important and so should we. Simply get the word out. Get the message of the kingdom of heaven out. Tell them and tell them often by any godly means possible.

The Soils, Verses 19-23

Seed needs soil to grow. Of course we are talking about people’s hearts and minds. The message of the kingdom is heard as we talk about it and there are four kinds of reactions that happen when we spread the word of the kingdom. Jesus lays out the truth for us and He equips us to deal with the results of the seeding whether ‘good or bad’ so to speak. It is essential to have our souls, hearts and minds prepared for the outcome as we are performance driven as a people in general.

Think of all the stats that they share during a sports game. Coaches know that this particular right handed batter gets hits when there are 2 runners on and facing a left- handed pitcher. We love stats because they are predictable and by them we can gauge our success. Jesus gives us the stats so that we are not discouraged and give up.

Here is the truth that you need to be armed with, the devil knows that you are a sower so he watches to see where you sow and his most effective weapon is to steal the seed. In the first example Jesus likens the birds of the air who steal the seed to the devil that comes along and steals the message of the kingdom immediately after you have shared it.  The devil will not steal a counterfeit message so be encouraged that the devil knows you, you are doing your job.

The second and third types of soil offer “immediate” return on our sowing but do not offer any long term dividends. One receives the message with joy and tries to do the kingdom work in his own power and fails miserably and quits when serving God begins to cost him something, the next fellow gets the message but has his life too tied to this earthly kingdom and so gives up as well, Paul tells us about a dear friend of his named Demas who forsook the work of the kingdom for the cares of the world (2 Timothy 4:10).

But there is the fourth type of soil, those who receive the message of the Kingdom, they love it, surrender to it and trade all they have for it. They in turn become sowers themselves and bring others into the kingdom by sowing. When we understand the stats and the ratios we will find that we are less inclined to have the emotional swing that can often come with sharing the gospel. Also it takes a year for seed to geminate and produce fruit, some trees done produce useful fruit for 3-5 years as there is a maturation process.  We will find much more peace and satisfaction in the sowing part as it is really all we have control over.

The Sower, Verse 3

You and I are the sowers. The “word of the kingdom” has been entrusted to us in the pages of the Bible. Each New Testament church as an entity is a sower. We are the messengers of the kingdom and we must simply get the word out. There is not a lot to be explained about this.

The only way to get better at sowing is to sow. It is not rocket science. You can read and pray all you want but until you get out and start to sow that all means nothing. When you begin to sow it will invigorate your need to read the Scriptures, and it will frame the way that you pray. Go out and sow.

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

www.mississaugamissionarybc.com

 

Matthew chapter 13:1-17 (continued)

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Great crowds assembled around Him, so that He went into a boat and sat there. And the whole assembly stood on the shore.  Then He told them many things in parables, saying, “Listen! A sower went out to sow. While he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

But other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they did not have deep soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they did not take root, they withered away. Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. But other seeds fell into good ground and produced grain: a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

The disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’He answered them, ‘It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away Therefore        I speak to them in parables: Because they look, but do not see. And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand,  and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart has grown dull. Their ears have become hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I should heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.”

Last time we ended by discussing the power of the Church family. Over the past week I have seem more information about the Church family, more than I have seen in some time.  It would appear that God has the same message for all of us. The New Testament church is the “pillar and ground of the truth.”  We showed that as we enter the last days of this age we are going to need the New Testament church more and more.

It is especially important as we are reminded of that in Hebrews 10:25, we are to make sure that we assemble more and more as we see the end approaching. We are not blind, Jesus told us the signs of the end and we are in a front row seat for beginning of the end.  If you are blessed, like I am, to be a part of a Bible teaching, Jesus returning soon, loving and serving church—then thank the Lord and don’t take it for granted.

A lot of Christendom is in “churches” who water down the truth are building earthly kingdoms and have very little personal relationships with those with whom they attend church. This is sad, really, if you think about what Jesus built before He left us.  His church was built on Him—the Truth, His return and His love for all mankind.

The twelve men and the women who served and traveled with them had each other and often no one else. They had abandoned earthly kingdoms and treasures for the promised kingdom that they could not see. They, like we, look for a city whose Builder and Maker is God.

Here, we will begin to look at Jesus’ use of parables to teach the truth of the kingdom of God. we will take a look at verses 10-17 first, and then next time we will begin to look at the parables themselves.

We Know More Than the Jews of Today, Verses 10-12

What is a parable?  A parable, simply put, is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  So each parable revealed something about the kingdom of heaven.  The Jews are still temporarily blinded to the truths of the New Testament and Old Testament Scriptures because of their rejection of Jesus. Paul tells us this in Romans 11:25-26:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.’”

The eyes of the Jews have been blocked for our benefit. We, the Gentile church, are being granted a period of grace to expand and grow until Jesus decided to begin to deal with Israel again as He fulfills all the promises made the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  If we spend time in God’s Word, faithfully examine it and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us; we will see more about the nation of Israel than they know.

There are things that we know that they cannot know without the Holy Spirit living in them. In particular, the Gospel of Matthew is about the Jews and the Jewish Messiah. All of the parables have to be weighed and interpreted in the light of Israel and Jesus as her rightful king.

One of things we learn in Jesus’ explanation of why He uses parables is that He rewards those who seek Him and honor Him with knowledge. Notice in verse 11 that it is “given to us to know”—it is a gift from God. There is a level of human wisdom that we get from “life experience.” But there is another level of knowledge and wisdom that ONLY comes from God and it is a gift; He gives it when we ask and seek Him.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

God not only gives wisdom but He gives generously. God is not stingy with His wisdom He wants you to overflow with it.  It is important for us to study parables since Jesus tells us that contained in these parables are things that God wants the New Testament church to know; things that are important for the proper understanding of the times we live in and a filter through which to sift all the information that we get when we study the scripture and read the media we are so bombarded with.

In this chapter that we are looking at there are seven parables. That is, seven pieces of information about the kingdom of heaven that God wants the New Testament church to know but that are hidden from Israel as a whole.  It would seem to me that if this is information that Jesus’ wants us to know and that God wants us to know then we should take some time to dissect and understand what it is exactly that we are supposed to know.

Keep this promise in mind from verse 12—that he who has will be given and he will have abundance. The more you learn about the kingdom of heaven, the more God will reveal to you about the kingdom of heaven. The more you learn about the kingdom of heaven, then the more knowledge in general God will bless you with, and godly knowledge is followed with godly wisdom; the two go hand in hand.

Then when you read the Scriptures they will come alive to you, it will make sense and  the pages will overflow with information that helps you to frame your life, your thoughts  and your goals. Let us approach parables as secret codes from God that allow us to understand heavenly things with our finite minds—but at the same time they make our finite minds less finite.

God’s Special Blessing of Knowledge, Verses 16-17

Have you ever read the writings of Daniel or Jeremiah or Isaiah and they made your brain feel like it was going to explode? Well, I have some encouraging news for you; you know more about the kingdom of heaven than they did.  The parables teach us about some of the things that the great prophets really wanted to know but it was not for them to know.  It is for us to know.

Imagine that, we the Gentile Church know more about some things than the great Old Testament prophets.  We should take advantage of the privilege that God has granted us and diligently study the truth entrenched in these parables, they are for us.

Jesus tells us in verse 16, “Blessed are our eyes and ears for they see and hear.” We are  to be happy and feel favored by God that He would grant us this gift. These truths are treasures that should be treated like treasures; they need to be sought out and mined for in the words of these parables. What truths are so important to God that He would develop a coded way to teach us that would at the same time hide them from even His most revered prophets?

What if a parent told you that there was a hidden treasure for you in your home? A treasure that was made for you, designed to bless you and give you something that your older, wiser siblings longed to have—but were not allowed to have? Most kids would feel special and go looking for the treasure in the house. We should feel special that God has chosen us to receive the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven. But more than just feeling special, we should appreciate the privilege by trying to learn all we can about what God is teaching us.

So take some time this week; make a list of all the parables and read them. This is not a contest; simply take the time and effort and read as many of the parables that you can.  We will explore these seven parables and any others that we come across in the book of Matthew as we go on.

Prepare your hearts to get the message that Jesus wants you to get as a part of the New Testament church.  These truths will ground us, challenge us and more than likely, humble us. They will drive us to Jesus and to His Word and help us to be  better servants of the King. It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, verse 10.

 

issionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

www.mississaugamissionarybc.com