THE VOICE OF GOD
Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
S: Revelation
Th: Grace-Full Living (the grace of God communicating)
Pr: GOD IS GRACIOUSLY SPEAKING (IF WE WILL ONLY LISTEN).
?: How? How will we respond?
KW: Responses.
TS: We will find in “The Parable of the Sower” four responses we can have to His gracious words.
The ____ response we can have to His gracious word is one of…
I. “PAY NO MIND”
II. PASSING
III. PREOCCUPATION
IV. PERCEPTION
RMBC 11/12/00 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Listening (Roosevelt)
The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I’m sure she had it coming."
Can I tell you a secret?
I have always wanted to do that as you go out after the service, just to see if anyone is listening.
Well, so much for confessions!
But…
Do you ever wonder if anyone is really listening?
TRANSITION:
ILL Notebook: Listen (thank you your honor)
In a jury pool, Ann Ripp watched people trying to persuade the judge to exempt them from serving. One man explained that he had a severe hearing problem and wouldn’t be able to follow the proceedings. “You’re excused,” the judge informed him. “What did you say?” the man asked. The judge repeated himself and motioned to the exit. As the man reached the door, the judge told the clerk, “Juror No. 9 is excused, but he will still be paid for his time.” “Thank you, Your Honor!” came a familiar voice from the far end of the courtroom.
Do you think he gave it away?
Well, this story does point out a serious human flaw and that is…
1. To our own detriment, we can be selective in our hearing.
You see, the question is not so much about what is being said, but about our listening.
Are we listening?
Jesus wanted to get people’s attention because he had important matters to speak about.
So to get their attention, Jesus used parables.
Simply, they were stories.
And He used them to make the truth more clear to those that were really seeking the truth.
But to those that were not seeking the truth, the stories had a way of making things more obscure.
Today, we consider a very familiar story called “The Parable of the Sower.”
2. The familiar parable about the sower makes the following representations:
2.1 The seed represents God’s message of good news.
Jesus had good news to tell.
There was an entrance into the kingdom of God that comes by grace through faith.
Through this message, life comes to the one who believes.
For, just as the power of plant life is in the seed, the power of new spiritual life is in the Word, this message of good news.
2.2 The soils represent man’s varying responses to the good news.
These are “heart” soils.
And we should note that the soils are basically the same.
It is the same dirt, that given the right conditions, could support the growth of crops.
So we should also note outright that although every human heart is naturally sinful and hostile toward God, every heart is also capable of being redeemed.
There is no such thing as a naturally unredeemable heart.
If a person is not saved, it is because they do not want to be saved, not because they were a different or wrong kind of soil.
Having acknowledged these two basic representations in this parable, let me return to our main point this morning.
It is simply this…
3. GOD IS GRACIOUSLY SPEAKING (IF WE WILL ONLY LISTEN).
You will have to pardon me for my attitude here, but sometimes it seems like a waste to me.
God does a lot of speaking and we miss most of it.
Just like the sower who scatters the seed.
It lands in all these places where it will not grow.
Why bother?
Why bother to speak so much when so little is welcomed?
God speaks because it is His nature to do so.
He desires to reveal Himself to us.
And even though what God has to say to us is so large and our minds are so small, He keeps speaking.
Now…if we will only listen…
Therefore…
4. We will find in “The Parable of the Sower” four responses we can have to His gracious words (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23).
The parable goes like this…
(3) Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. (4) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. (5) Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. (6) But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. (7) Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. (8) Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (9) He who has ears, let him hear.”
OUR STUDY:
I. The first response we can have to His gracious word is one of “PAY NO MIND” (18-19).
Jesus begins to explain the parable in this way…
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.”
ILL Notebook: Ignorance (below what?)
After growing up in Southern Cal-ifornia, Peggy Keane’s son and two of his school-mates headed to Helena, Montana, to attend college on football scholarships. When they went shopping in a Helena department store for winter clothes, a salesman asked where they were from. After they told him, he warned, "We get very cold weather here. Sometimes 20 below." Travis, the surfer in the group, asked, "Below what?"
We may laugh at the ignorance of those southern Californians, but ignorance is not always a funny matter.
For instance…
ILL personal
As you might be able to tell, I have begun to grow my beard for the role I will play in the Pilgrimage. I enjoy being a part of this unique ministry. But this week, I was at a couple of soccer practices and I mentioned to a few of the other parents that I was growing my beard for my church’s Christmas program. Amazingly, the response each time was, “What? You are going to be ‘Santa?’”
I have to admit, each time this happened, I was caught off guard at the ignorance of what a church’s primary message at Christmas ought to be…
This example correlates with the parable, for…
1. The hard-packed soil represents the person who is indifferent to anything spiritual.
This soil is smooth, flat, and hard.
It is ground that has been compacted down by all the traffic.
The description of the hard-packed ground pictures the hard heart.
Make no mistake, it is not the message that is defective.
Instead, the supposed listener does not understand.
Even more so, the issue is that he is not interested.
The Word makes no penetration into the mind or the heart.
The message goes in one ear and out the other.
And as a result…
2. The person who is self-sufficient and self-satisfied is exposed to Satan’s attack (II Corinthians 4:4).
Because of the nature of the hard-packed soil, the seed of God’s Word is fully exposed to the enemy of the soul.
Since there is no repentance and no guilt, this lack of shame insulates him from God’s help.
He is utterly exposed to Satan’s attack.
Note what it says in II Corinthians 4:4…
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The blind and apathetic response comes because this heart has never been softened by remorse.
It has never been broken up by conviction of sin.
And to compound the worsening results, the message is stolen away.
This leads us to…
II. The second response we can have to His gracious word is one of PASSING (20-21).
ILL Bradley
“I’ve made my choice,” wrote the basketball star. “I love Jesus Christ and I try to serve Him to the best of my ability. How about you?” No, those are not the words of David Robinson, A. C. Green or any other Christian currently plating in the NBA. That testimony is from a tract written thirty years ago by Bill Bradley, the former United States Senator, who tried to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. In an earlier Breakpoint Commentary, Chuck Colson talked about how Bradley professed faith in Christ while he was a student at Princeton University. There he became very active in The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and by the time he was playing for the New York Knicks, he was a very outspoken Christian. But things have changed. In his 1996 memoirs, Bradley says he was put off by the exclusive truth claims of conservative Christianity and bothered by the uncharitable and racist attitudes displayed by some Christians. He now says he embraces all religions, from Buddhism to Islam, “so long as they seek inner peace.”
This story about Bill Bradley unfortunately sounds like Jesus’ explanation regarding the rocky soil…
“The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”
1. The rocky soil represents the person’s whose faith is temporary.
We have all probably seen it at one time or another.
Someone becomes involved in the church with such eagerness and emotional excitement.
They are full of joy and enthusiasm.
It seems they cannot embrace the truth of the gospel soon enough.
Unfortunately, the response is temporary.
Even though the gospel prompted a positive reaction, the change is only on the surface as opposed to the depths of heart.
The feelings were changed, but not the soul.
The question that often comes here is did they actually become Christians?
I do not believe so.
I think the text points us this way.
The text tells us that this person has no root.
There is no connection to what is needed to nourish and sustain life.
Therefore, the faith was never genuine, because the faith was never rooted in the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.
There was never any true repentance or remorse over sin.
There was no recognition of lostness.
There was no contrition or brokenness.
And…
2. When the cost of discipleship becomes too high, the lifelessness of this person becomes evident (I John 2:19).
The text tells us that when trouble and persecution appear, they have a way of separating out those that belong and those that do not.
The text in I John 2:19 reaffirms this to us…
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
The superficial believer may be baptized and serve in the church.
He will function as a model member for a long time.
But when the testing comes, it exposes the true lifelessness of the inner soul.
These kinds of “believers” want Christianity without the sacrifice or cost.
So, as a result, they fall away.
They become lost to the visible church just as they were always lost to the spiritual one.
III. The third response we can have to His gracious word is one of PREOCCUPATION (22).
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
1. The thorny soil represents those that are sidetracked by worldly concerns (I Timothy 6:10).
Those that fall into this category are blinded to the importance of the gospel or anything else spiritual or eternal.
Instead, they are overcome with the acquirement of security, happiness, popularity, pleasure, and all around well-being.
For it is these things that are the ultimate goals of the citizens of planet earth.
These folks unwittingly fall in love with riches and are oblivious to its deceitfulness.
They are also oblivious to their utter inability to satisfy the heart or bring lasting happiness.
And, as a result, their faith seems to fade away as other things become more important.
Simply, they are people who get their priorities wrong and end up with fruitless and ungodly lives.
They end up living I Timothy 6:10…
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
We should not underestimate this evil power.
ILL Notebook: Money (statistics and research)
In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, by James Patterson and Peter Kim, they asked the question, “What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?” Twenty-five per cent would abandon their entire family. Twenty-five per cent would abandon their church. Twenty-three per cent would become prostitutes for a week or more. Sixteen per cent would give up their American citizenship. Sixteen per cent would leave their spouses. Ten per cent would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free. Seven per cent would kill a stranger. Three per cent would put their children up for adoption.
2. The love of the world and identification with the Word cannot coexist.
John MacArthur has said:
A professing believer who is unconcerned about sin in his life and does not hate evil and love righteousness gives strong evidence that the soil in his heart is weedy. He will eventually discover that his love for the world and his identification with Christ’s word cannot coexist. If his faith is genuine, he will forsake the world; if it is not, his sin will choke out what knowledge of the word he has.
A weed-infested heart is preoccupied with money, career, fashions, sports and everything but the Lord’s priorities.
So if you want faith that is weak and anemic, keep those matters as priorities and they will keep your faith from taking root.
Finally…
IV. The fourth response we can have to His gracious word is one of PERCEPTION (23).
“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
1. The good soil represents those that hear the word and receive Jesus on His terms.
This is the person who understands!
This is the person who is transformed!
And the past makes no difference.
The person who is saved may have lived a life of debauchery and utter wickedness, but it does not make a difference, even though there are others who are humanly moral and respectable.
Neither is salvation based on intelligence (though I am convinced that believing is an intelligent choice).
The person who is saved may have little education and a low IQ, even though there are others who are highly intelligent and trained.
The difference is the belief that comes with understanding.
For the only barrier to salvation is unbelief.
It is a belief that will make a difference.
For…
2. The evidence of true spiritual life is fruit (Psalm 1:3).
Note Psalm 1:3…
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
The ultimate mark of good soil is fruitbearing.
Spiritual fruit is the inevitable product of spiritual life.
Jesus comments about the increase, and He says it is going to be a lot.
For the average yield ratio of grain crops in Palestine was less than eight to one.
Therefore even the least productive statement that Jesus makes, thirty to one, was almost four times the average.
Jesus simply uses these figures to represent the great productivity He gives to the faithful proclamation of His Word.
Simply, true believers produce fruit!
APPLICATION:
So…
1. Sowers of the seed should not lose heart because of a negative response.
The Lord guarantees that His faithful witnesses will produce fruit and will do so abundantly.
It is impossible for a faithful sower of the Word to fail, because the Lord of the harvest will not permit it.
Our work, His Word, and the church’s witness are not in vain.
But this does not mean that we will not face rejection.
We are to anticipate receiving right and wrong responses.
But we keep sowing the seed and we do not give up.
We do it because we are motivated out of love and gladness for the grace we have received.
We have received God’s grace.
And it continues today as well.
2. God graciously speaks to you today.
I want to encourage you to listen.
If you heart is hard-packed and beaten down by a continual neglect of God, or even by conscious opposition, allow God’s Spirit to break up your ground and make it receptive to His Word.
If the soil of your heart is shallow, call upon the Spirit to remove the rocky resistance that lies beneath the surface of the seeming acceptance.
And if your heart is infested with the weedy cares and concerns of the world, ask the Spirit to cleanse you of worldliness and receive Him with no reservation or competing loyalties.
Realize that God is still speaking and has not given up on you today.
You are not a waste of time to Him.
3. God speaks because He is not content to leave you unchanged.
ILL Lucado quote (p. X), Just Like Jesus
In Max Lucado’s book, Just Like Jesus, he discussed the motivation behind God’s desire to make us like Christ.
He says…
God loves to decorate. God has to decorate. Let him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched. It’s not enough for him to own you; he wants to change you. Where you and I might be satisfied with a recliner and refrigerator, he refuses to settle for any dwelling short of a palace. After all, this is his house. No expense is spared. No corners are cut. “Oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him” (Eph. 1:19, The Message). This might explain some discomfort in your life. Remodeling the heart is not always pleasant. We don’t object when the Carpenter adds a few shelves, but he’s been known to gut the entire west wing. He has such high aspirations for you. God envisions a complete restoration. He won’t stop until he is finished. And he won’t be finished until we have been shaped “along the…lines…of his Son” (Rom. 8:29, The Message).
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
God is speaking…are you listening…or are you “paying no mind, being indifferent and deliberately ignorant, I encourage you to let God soften up your hard-packed heart so you might discover how much He does care for you;
God is speaking…are you listening…or are you allowing it to be a passing fashion, a phase your are going through; if so, I encourage you to let God breakup that rocky resistance that is keeping you from having a real relationship with Him;
God is speaking…are you listening…or are you preoccupied with the world’s priorities, falling in love with that which ultimately will never satisfy; if so, I encourage you to let those concerns go, for they are nothing more than weeds that are infesting your life;
God is speaking…listen…understand…and believe…and know the joy of life eternal.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
