The Parables of the Sower and the Soils

June 24, 2007



Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Mark 4:1-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-8; 11-15

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 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, was trampled upon, 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 because they had no moisture, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. 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 to hear, let him hear."

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: The farmer sows the seed, which is the Word of God. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 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, the deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for pleasures choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man of noble and good heart, who hears the word, understands and retains it. By persevering he produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The kingdom parables of Matthew 13


Sower and the Soils (1-9, 18-23) Means of growth – the Word heard and applied
Tares among wheat (24-30, 36-43) Kingdom subjects will coexist with those who do not believe
Mustard Seed (31-32) Kingdom growth will be spectacular
Leaven (33) The kingdom will pervade society
Hidden treasure (44) Kingdom subjects will recognize its value
Costly Pearl (45-46) Kingdom subjects are willing to sacrifice everything for its agenda
Dragnet (47-50) Kingdom subjects are to spread the gospel without discrimination
Householder (52) Kingdom teachers and their methods


The Parable of the Sower and the Soils

· Overview.
* The sower(s). (Psa 126:5-6, 1 Cor 3:6-7, James 5:7)
* The seed. (1 Pet 23-25)
* The soils. (Prov 4:23, 1 Sam 16:7, Rom 10:9-10)
* Does this parable have application only for salvation or also for the Christian life?
* Why does Jesus say that this parable is the key to understanding the rest?


· Seed sown on the path – the hardened heart.
* Who takes the seed away?
* What are the causes of hardened hearts?
* The remedy for a hard heart. (Hosea 10:12)


· Seed sown on the rocky places – the shallow heart.
* When the going gets tough….
* A theology of suffering. (1 Pet 1:6-7)
* Putting down deeper roots.


· Seed sown among thorns – the crowded heart.
* The cares of this world. (Luke 12:28-31)
* The deceitfulness of riches. (1 Tim 6:17)
* The pleasures of life. (Rom 13:13-14)
* When is a heart overcrowded?
* What are my thorns?

· Seed sown on good soil – the listening heart.
* Is there such a thing as a good heart?
* How does a person allow the seed to grow?
* What is the secret of a fruitful heart?
* What does it mean to produce fruit? (Psa 92:12-14, Luke 6:43, Col 1:10, Gal 5:22-23)


· Application.
* Ask ourselves - What is the hearing capacity of my heart?
* How do we improve our listening skills?

The Parables of our Lord

Introduction
June 17, 2007

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. Mat 13:34


What is a parable?

· Meaning.

* From the Greek parabole which means “to be placed alongside.”
* A story, a metaphor or a simile that puts the known next to the unknown so that we may learn. (Key word: …like…)
* A true-to-life comparison designed to make a motivating impression.
* Most of us tend to think in pictures and have difficulty grasping abstract ideas.

· Examples.

* Old Testament (2 Sam 12, Psalms, Proverbs.)
* New Testament (Gospels, Epistles, Revelation).
* Hymns and spiritual songs.
* Our pastor.
* Other.


Our Lord’s use of the parables in His teaching

· The Master Teacher and the Master’s primary method. (Mat 13:34)

“Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. John 3:2

O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables. (Psa 78:1-2)

· His message – the Kingdom of God.

* What is the kingdom of God?

* In scripture (Matthew 4:17, 5:20, 6:9-10, 6:33, 18:3, 19:2; John 18:36, Acts 1:3, Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 15:50, Col 1:13, Rev 11:15)
* Both present and future.
* Revealed and concealed(?) by Jesus. (Mt 13:35, 13:13-17)

· Sub-themes.

* The character of the kingdom. (Mustard Seed, Leaven, Hidden Treasure, Pearl of Great Price)
* The character of the King. (Workers in the Vineyard, Lost Sheep, Lost Son)
* The character of the King’s subjects. (Good Samaritan, Persistent Widow)

Studying the parables – “Have you understood all these things?” (Mt 13:51)

· Realize the kingdom focus of the parables.
· Ask what the parables reveal about God.
· Beware of allegorizing every detail of forcing deeper meanings.
· Study the context.
· Ask what the parables teach about how to live.
· Read the parables with “sanctified imagination,” placing yourself in the story. Tap into all your senses.





Quiz: Using the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, can you identify the everyday comparison used by our Lord along with or instead of using the following thesis statements?

A.Christians should influence their world
B.The Christian should deal ruthlessly with sin in his or her life
C.Benevolence should not be ostentatious
D.Fasting done to impress others will not be rewarded by God
E.Our deeds done for Christ should be more desired than that done for material wealth
F.Judging others only as you would judge yourself
G.Persistent prayer is powerful
H.Living for self is easy but destructive. Living for God is hard but life as it is meant to be
I.Does your life give evidence for others to know that you are a Christian
J.Following Jesus is the only sure way to get through the trials and tribulations of life

Thoughts on Revelation

Lee Meadows just finished up his discourse on the book of Revelation Sunday. This was an interesting review of an even more interesting book--Revelation. I have a better appreciation of the book now, especially after Lee said he reads it devotionally. He does that because it gives him hope--it is a book of hope. What a hope we have!!!

Here is a synopsis of what I took away from this study:

• Read it devotionally
• There are 7 cycles, the same story is repeated 7 times
• Revelations is symbolic
• The Sea represents people and languages
• The Woman represents the World
• We are persecuted in the West by 'materialism' Materialism cuts us off from intimacy with Chirst and our brothers and sisters
• Jesus rides a white horse
• the 7 seals seal the scroll of history
  

Some Implications of Amillennial Eschatology

Here is how Hoekema wraps up his sketch of amellennialism in an article on the internet.

"All this implies that regarding world history, amillennialists adopt a position of sober or realistic optimism. Belief in the present rule of Christ, in the presence of God’s kingdom and in the movement of history toward its goal is accompanied by a realistic recognition of the presence of sin in this world and of the growing development of the kingdom of evil. Amillennial eschatology looks for a culmination of apostasy and tribulation in the final emergence of a personal Antichrist before Christ comes again. Amillennialists do not expect to see the perfect society realized during this present age.

Yet, since we know that the victory of Christ over evil was decisive and that Christ is now on the throne, the dominant mood of amillennial eschatology is optimism — Christian optimism. This means that we view no world crisis as totally beyond help and no social trend as absolutely irreversible. It means that we live in hope — a hope that is built on faith and that expresses itself in love.

Amillennial eschatology, therefore, gives us a realistic, yet basically optimistic world-and-life view. It is an eschatology which is exciting, exhilarating and challenging. It is an eschatology which gives us an inspiring vision of the lordship of Christ over history and of the ultimate triumph of his kingdom."

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