Good Soil Bears Fruits

I. EXORDIUM:

Please raise your hand if you're a farmer.

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

General Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To promote bearing much fruit

IV. TEXT:

Matthew 13:23

The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.

Pray that God will put in us a good heart that bears much fruit, a heart after God's own heart, a doer of the Word and let us have a huge harvest.

V. THESIS:

Take God's own heart.

VI. TITLE:

Good Soil Bears Fruits

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Matthew, also called Levi, one of the twelve (12) apostles, Mark 2:14, Jew who was a Roman tax collector, Matthew 10:3, called a sinner because he enters Roman court.

Mark 2:14

As he was walking along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's desk. Jesus told him, "Follow me!" So Levi got up and followed him.

Matthew 10:3

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

B. Audience: to the Jews

C. Keywords: Fulfilled

D. Purpose: To show Jesus of Nazareth was the Kingly Messiah of Jewish Prophecy.

E. Job/Profession:

Tax collector, a publican.

A Jew prohibited to enter courts of non-Jew to deliver the collected tax to the Roman (non-Jews). His profession made him a sinner.

(Isaiah 52:11, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Colossians 2:21, Genesis 3:3, Acts 10:28, Acts 11:3, John 4:9)

Isaiah 52:11

"Depart! Depart! Go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.

2 Corinthians 6:17

Therefore, "Get away from them and separate yourselves from them," declares the Lord, "and don't touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.

Colossians 2:21

"Don't handle this! Don't taste or touch that!"

Genesis 3:3

"but as for the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You are not to eat from it, nor are you to touch it, or you will die.'"

Acts 10:28

He told them, "You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with a gentile. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean,

Acts 11:3

They said, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"

John 4:9

The Samaritan woman asked him, "How can you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" Because Jews do not have anything to do with Samaritans.

Events that will make Matthew unclean or a sinner:

1. Matthew will touch the money of the people.

2. Often thought of him stealing money, or adding charges to the people that will go straight to his pocket.

3. He will enter Roman courts to deliver the money.

4. He might be probably advised to eat with them if he has a good tax collection that day.

5. Touch unclean hands of the Romans.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Good soil is the heart that accepts God's message:

1. Different hearts (Matthew 13:18-23)

Matthew 13:18-23

Mat 13:18 Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:

Mat 13:19 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts.

Mat 13:20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away.

Mat 13:21 But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

Mat 13:22 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.

Mat 13:23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.

a. Those who don't understand. (Matthew 13:19)

Matthew 13:19

The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts.

b. Those who have accepted but not very long. (Matthew 13:21) - temporary Christians

Matthew 13:21

But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

c. Choked out heart (Matthew 13:22)

Matthew 13:22

The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.