Sowers, Seeds and Soils
Luke 8:5-15
A sower went out
We are expected to go out
We are expected to sow
We cannot go out without seed
Seeds have no life until they are sown
Germination
Need water, light and soil (can grow without soil)
The seed is the word of God
Mixed with the light of Jesus and the water of the Spirit = life
The sower sowed on different ground
Not deliberately
He scattered the seeds
He sent them everywhere
Some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it
How many people tread the word of God under foot?
The one who has let people or things or situations make their heart hard that they do not want to let the Word enter their heart at all.
They could be the one who never attends church or who has attended church much of their life.
They hear the word but fail to believe it is the truth for them to follow
There are people who have come to church many times and the Word preached does not affect them
The heart that is set on the pleasures of sin will be hardened to the Word of God.
It’s a dangerous surface
It is exposed to the birds of the air and to the stomping of feet passing by
Who are the fowls?
The devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, so they don’t believe and get saved
This is a hopeless Place
The word of God cannot find a place to stay and grow
It is on this path for a time but it does not enter and life is never given
It still is the Word of God but the one who hears it does not profit from it
He does not understand the power in the Word of God and the devil steals any chance of hope
His business is to hinder people profiting by the word of God. He takes the word out of the hearts of careless hearers
They hear
Have you shared the word with people and they tread it under their feet and immediately it has gone?
This can be disheartening, but we should expect it
Not everyone will jump up and say ‘ tell me more!’
Yet some will be just like this
Those sown on the rock
Those who hear and receive the word with joy and believe for a short time, but then fall away because they have no root
Emotional person
When the feeling goes away so does the faith that could have been
They like the feel-good of Christianity but do not want any more problems in life
Roots are there to receive water
To anchor the plant into the soil
They take in nourishment
If there is a shoot but the root is weak, the plant will not last
You may think your growth is slow, that’s ok as long as the root is deepening
Some people hear the word and come to church for a while
They don’t get anchored into the word
They don’t get watered and nourished by the Spirit
When asked for commitment, they disappear
Because they are not anchored they fall into temptation
They backslide and never return
The ones sown on thorns
They hear and go into the world
A double-minded hearer
But when cares of this life come, they give up
They want earthly things
The soil was preoccupied
These bear no fruit
If a seed doesn’t produce fruit, it is worthless
No fruit comes from this soil because the weeds are not destroyed but fed
The seed sown on good soil
Having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit
Having allowed the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to plow and dig out the bad and to replace with good
Progression in the ground
These have an honest and good heart
Plowing comes first
The first thing in getting our heart ready is to turn it over
Repent of any known sin
The word repent means, "to turn"
Repentance means to turn away from sin and pursue righteousness
To repent means that you make a 180 degree change in your life
You don’t say that you are sorry and you will try to do better, you confess that you have sinned and you need God’s forgiveness and grace
In order to cultivate a heart that is noble and good, you need to plow up your heart and mind and turn control over to God
Then there comes Preparation
We need to fertilize the soil
· Spend time in God’s Word so that the life-giving truth of scripture can soak deep into your heart
· Meditate on what you read; meditate day and night so that the truth will saturate past your mind and flow into your heart
· Allow the Bible to fill your heart and mind so that it saturates your thoughts and conversation; you are literally washing away the negative, deadly elements that result in doubt, fear and defeat. They are replaced with faith, confidence and victory
Then comes Planting time
Take time to sow God’s Word into the situations of your life
We are commanded to not be hearers only of God’s Word, but a doer as well
You will receive that which you have sown
Apply God’s Word to the things you face everyday
Look for what the Bible says about your situation and then follow the principals of scripture; put your faith into practice and live what scripture teaches
Don’t just say you believe it, live it.
Take root and produce fruit to perfection
It is not enough that the fruit be brought forth, it must be brought to perfection, it must be fully ripened
Protect your spiritual life
Take time to weed the garden of your heart
Guard your heart from the thorns of anxiety, worry and the cares of the world
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto you."
Don’t allow weeds of evil to grow, but remove them from your heart and life
Be careful what you watch, listen to and read
Protect your heart and your relationship with God
Keep the standard of holiness and purity always before you
With your eyes on God and your trust in Him, live to please and love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
If we will plow, prepare, plant and protect our hearts, we will be ready soil that is good for God to use
With good soil that is daily cultivated and ready to receive His Word, a harvest will be produced
8:10 to you are given the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand
It may take time, hard work and preparation, but it will be worth it in the end
