I believe that it is the work of the preacher to preach and teach things that will cause us to grow and stretch our belief and faith in God. I hope that in the time that God gives us to work together here in this community that I will be able to do just that. I want to challenge you, teach things that will cause you to study and hopefully grow in your knowledge and loge for God and his church.
But I know that with growth come some growing pains. I have a book in my office that has caused me lots of pain. To be honest I hate to read it and to this day I haven’t read it all. It is a book that was written by a member of the church and the writer asks some questions that I do not like the obvious answers to. So I have gotten upset and thrown it across the room, hid it in a desk drawer and just put it away, but every so often I get it out and read a little more.
Do you know why I do this? Is it because I like pain? Or because I like to torture myself? No the reason is because the story that this writer tells is so captivating that am drawn to read, but when I read I don’t always like the answer that I come up with.
Jesus taught in much the same way. Jesus was a storyteller, and when you get to the heart of what He was saying you don’t always like the answer that you come up with.
Mark 4:33-34 says “And with many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples”.
Jesus taught the people in parables so that they could chew on it, and often when they had their ah-ha moment it was days later.
The parable of the Good Samaritan battles racial prejudice
The parable of the lost Sheep, Coin, and Boy battles our responsibility to our family
The parable of the wheat and the weeds battles worldliness
And so on.
Tonight I want to look at a Parable found in three of the Gospels. Tonight we will look at Matthew’s account in Matthew 13:1-9
For years I have heard this parable used in sermons and bible classes to teach that we must be the Good soil and provide and increase if we have any hope of heaven. But I am learning that I can better understand the other types of soil at times.
You know the types of soil and what they represent.
The Pathway soil is the mind that is packed down, unreceptive: "I don’t understand; I don’t believe".
This is where I have already formed my opinion about the matter and no amount of scripture is going to change that.
The Rocky soil is the mind that has lack of depth, fast start, withers: "I’ll serve the Lord as long as there are no difficulties or discouragements".
The Thorny soil is the mind that choked out by cares of life, deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things: "I’ll serve the Lord as long as it does not interfere with things that are more important".
The Good soil is the mind that hears the word with a noble and good heart, understands it, accepts it, bears fruit: "I’ll serve the Lord; I’m eager to learn more and better ways to be of service; I want to improve my effectiveness; I volunteer".
But I believe that the four types of soil represent a growth process. And as we receive the word, and continue to stretch and grow we are all at one time or another each of the soils, and hopefully there is a progression?
You see if it is possible that in many areas and at many times I go from wayside to rocky to thorny to good ground, and then there is encouragement to be found in growth.
If I have progressed from pathway to rocky?
If I have grown from rocky to thorny?
If I have begun to see some fruit multiplying where once my life was choked with thorns?
Then I have a reason to rejoice and I realize that I have a choice about what kind of ground I am.
Let me remind you that growth is hard. There are some things in your life and in your belief system hat have been there for a while and have been handed down from generation to generation.
It’s like the little girl who noticed that every time her mother cooked a roast she chopped a piece off the end of the roast before putting it in the oven. Intrigued, she asked her mother why she did this.
"Well to be honest, I do it because that’s the way my mother always does it" came the reply. "I’m sure she must have some good reason for it."
At the next family gathering, the child decided to satisfy her curiosity. "Grandma, why do you always chop the end off the roast before cooking it?"
"Well to be honest, I do it because that’s the way my mother always does it" came the reply. "I’m sure she must have some good reason for it."
A week or so later the little girl was visiting her 90-year-old great grandmother. She explained that mom and grandma always chop the end off the roast before cooking it, but couldn’t remember why. Did she know?
"Well, " said Great-grandma with a chuckle. "Imagine the two of them doing that! I only cut the piece off because my pan was too small!"
Even though that may be funny more that once in the past two months I have had a conversation with a member of this body that goes something like this:
Jeremy, I want to talk with you about your Bible Class, or what you said in a sermon.
Ok what do you want to talk about?
I don’t like it.
Why?
Well I have never heard preached or taught what you preached or taught.
To be honest I can only teach or preach what I know. And what I know came through growing pains.
I hope that you will continue to experience the pain of growth. That you will study your bibles every day, and continue to till the ground of your mind and heart. It is the only way that we can get from pathway to rocky to thorny to fruitful soil.
So tonight with the time that we have left I want to look at how we can improve our hard soil, how can we understand, how can we believe?
The first thing I think that we need to do Learn to appreciate and value brokenness; hard ground needs plowing.
We need to understand that Hard, hurtful, disappointing things and events in our lives are opportunities to re-evaluate, refocus. If you want to plant a garden you must first break up the soil so that the seed can be accepted. The same is true in your life.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart - These, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:17).
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, (Romans 5:3-5).
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1: 2-5).
One of the great deceptions of our day: "I know God wants me to be happy. Happiness means no pain, thrilling pleasure, fun, entertainment. I know what is fun for me. Therefore, I will decide what God wants me to be and do. Because I know God wants me to be happy."
The truth is: God wants me to be faithful and fruitful.
But fruit sowing, fruit growing, and fruit gathering is not altogether and always fun.
It is profitable when the result is the fruit of the Spirit.
This is why Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:1-2
It is better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter,For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
This is a powerful, dangerous time. It is a time when some turn to the Lord. It is a time when some leave the Lord. What makes the difference?
The way the soil (heart) responds to the plowing.
Next we need to be open to more seed.
The bible says:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10: 17).
There is so much in our bibles that we miss because we get comfortable with what we know.
Growing up in a Military family I was introduced to a magic pink pill. It was about the size of a nickel and would cure everything from a broken collarbone, to the sniffles that come with a common cold. We knew it as the magic pill but you probably called it Motrin at your house.
Every time we went to the doctor growing up we would get a new bottle of these pink pills.
When Trista and I started dating I was at her parents home one time suffering with a sinus headache. Now they didn’t have and magic pills in their house they had a different type of magic, Benadryll. Trista offered me one and two days later when I woke up I felt great.
My whole life I was using the wrong thing. But because I was open to trying new things I found a better way. The same is true in our lives. If we can learn to be open to new seed growth can occur.
Don’t try to put too much seed into one break in the ground; take time to think, meditate.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1: 1,2).
This is the mustard seed principal.
On occasions that I try to learn a lot I have found that I also forget a lot. If we can get ourselves to go slow with the process than true growth can occur.
Don’t rush the process.
And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head" (Mark 4:26-28).
New ground was often "deadened" one spring to be cultivated the next spring. Many stumps had to be plowed around until they rotted.
In the same way old problems, hardness, obstacles do not disappear immediately. Especially in times of trial.
Growth will come if we learn to ask for help in understanding.
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:30,31 ).
Asking for help does not show weakness but maturity.
Finally be aware of and be honest about your doubts and lack of faith.
Faith and doubt are usually mixed.
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23,24).
Hard hearts aren’t hopeless. They just need the opportunity to be tilled and cultivated. That’s why we come together to study and grow. We gather together 2 times a week to share ideas, to express our doubts and fears, to get help from those who have walked our journey before.
You can understand and believe.
God’s word can make a difference in your life. If you are willing to stretch and grow.
