I. EXORDIUM:
Please raise your hands if you're a farmer or one who understands garden soil
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
General believers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To convince them to bear fruits.
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 make our hearts a fertile soil, like a garden soil fertile to bear much fruits.
V. THESIS:
Bear fruits if you're a good (garden) soil
VI. TITLE:
GOOD SOIL BEARTS FRUIT PART 2
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. Four Types of Soil:
1. Hard Path = accepts the good news but don't understand it. (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.
a. Make sure you understand - listen carefully. (Matthew 13:15)
- Ask questions
- Gather knowledge and facts
- Attend and listen carefully to worship services, bible studies, fellowships, trainings available in the church, bible school.
- Attend religiously and regularly
- Exert effort to study and learn from GOD.
- If not, the devil will steal it from you
- Don't sleep in services, sleep in other places not in church.
Matthew 13:15
All of them have stubborn minds! Their ears are stopped up, and their eyes are covered. They cannot see or hear or understand. If they could, they would turn to me, and I would heal them."
2. Rocky Soil = accepts the good news but don't stay long (Matthew 13:20-21)
Matthew 13:20-21
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.
a. Importance of Understanding the Word of God (Matthew 13:12, James 1:22)
Matthew 13:12
Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have.
James 1:22
Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it.
3. Thorny Ground = crowded with cares of this life and lure of wealth (Matthew 13:22)
- Produced no crops/fruit
- Worried and busy in the cares of this life
- Busy in the lure of wealth
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.
4. Good Soil = truly accepts GOD's message, produced and harvested 30, 60, & 100 times as much as had been planted.
B. Differences of the Four (4) Soils:
1. Good soil - produced much fruit.
2. True disciple produces much fruit. (John 15:8, John 15:1-7, Matthew 28:19)
John 15:8
When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored.
John 15:1-7
Joh 15:1 Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Joh 15:2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit.
Joh 15:3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.
Joh 15:4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.
Joh 15:6 If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.
Joh 15:7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.
Matthew 28:19
Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
C. We are all required to bear fruits:
1. If you don't bear fruits, you will be chopped down. (Matthew 3:10)
Matthew 3:10
An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire
2. Illustration: Luke 13:6-9
Luke 13:6-9
Luk 13:6 Jesus then told them this story: A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any.
Luk 13:7 So he said to the gardener, "For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?"
Luk 13:8 The gardener answered, "Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow.
Luk 13:9 Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn't, you can have it cut down."
IX. CONCLUSION:
Follow/obey GOD's commands, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) Stick to the Father and you will bear much fruit. (John 15:1-4)
Matthew 28:19
Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
John 15:1-4
Joh 15:1 Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Joh 15:2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit.
Joh 15:3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.
Joh 15:4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me.
