It's a pleasure to be with you here this morning and to bring the ministry of God's Word. As I am going around to visit the congregations of our presbytery before I take up the work of being the regional home missionary, helping to plant churches where the Lord opens doors in Eastern PA and Delaware, we time my visit here to give relief to Pastor Matosian as he recovers, and also to let the Landaus enjoy their new baby. Well, half of that plan has worked out. But nevertheless, it's good to be here and to enjoy fellowship with you today. It strikes me now that this is a large pulpit to fill, not only physically, but I think of Pastor Matosian as the one who As himself a pastor in California when I was a seminary student, was assigned to mentor me. It's very special now to be in his pulpit. Pastor Landau, I met in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at an event where we were encouraging young, bright men to consider pastoral ministry in the OPC. And so I'm sure I shared a meal across the table. telling him, look, it's not that bad. You can do this, encouraging him to consider this calling. Well, it's great to be here with old friends and with many of you. I mentioned earlier that I'm still overcoming a cold, so I'm just going to press on ahead, whatever happens here. But my voice seems to be working better the more I speak. Let's join our hearts in prayer before we hear the message this morning. Oh, Father, we come to you once again Asking that you would work in our hearts weary and distracted as they may be But by your spirit, we pray that they would be a fertile field where your word may take root Oh Lord grant us understanding and not only understanding but faith and fruitfulness of life by the work of your spirit Until that work in us is complete Lord bless the ministry of your word here and in every direction a place where your word is proclaimed this day. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen. Well, I count it a great privilege to join the churches of this presbytery as a missionary for the sake of church planting in the region. I was meeting with someone just a couple days ago, and I was glad to be able to point to the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts to explain our strategy for planting churches, which is to say we not only believe that someone needs to go out and share the good news, but to do so in a way that new churches may form. And even as the Apostle Paul would preach and bring together groups of believers that then may be led by others, we're following in that same pattern as we seek to plant churches using this role of a regional home missionary. Due to the conveniences of modern life, I'm doing something similar to this kind of mission work, even though I don't have many of the hardships associated with missionary work, let alone the kind that the apostles endured in the first century. After all, I don't have to live abroad. I live in a comfortable home and can use a car to get around and email and cell phones and grocery stores close at hand. All of these things are so convenient. I hardly feel like I'm suffering the way a missionary is supposed to be suffering. But it is indeed a mission to plant new churches. And so as I've been visiting congregations of our presbytery, I've been drawn to the great missionary texts of the Bible. And today, we're looking at a missionary parable. The parables demonstrate that Jesus was, in addition to being the Son of God, the Savior of the world, he was also a great communicator. Jesus could take great truths of God's kingdom. and present them in ways that were so clear and accessible. Often, he would use metaphors from daily life that were so familiar and yet full of power to understand some essential character to the kingdom of God. In particular, Jesus loved to use metaphors from the agricultural character of life. Being as this was long before the time of factories and technology, In the Old Testament, Israel was often compared to plants, a vine, a field, a tree. And so also when there was spiritual fruit in the life of Israel or in the believer in the Old Testament, it was an Old Testament metaphor of fruit or harvest. And Jesus was never far from using these kinds of metaphors. as he does in this parable of the sower. In fact, if you turn back about 10 verses, in chapter 12, verse 33, you can see the mention of trees and fruit, one of dozens of places in the Gospels where Jesus uses this, one of his favorite metaphors. But as Jesus would teach and as he used parables, he continually return to the one main theme of all of his teaching ministry, and that is the nature of God's kingdom. God's kingdom is a little bit difficult to grasp as a theological abstraction until you think of it in more concrete terms. What every kingdom has in common is that a kingdom needs to have a king, and the kingdom reflects the reign of its king. Jesus was not simply showing how God is the one who rules over his people and his kingdom, but he's going beyond this to show that he himself was the true king in this kingdom. And therefore, the best way to understand the nature of God's kingdom is to look to him, to look to him as the king, and to look at his reign that we may understand God's kingdom better. The parable of the sower. is therefore about this rule of Jesus over God's kingdom as the Word of God goes forth and as it brings people in all ages of history to put their faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, our risen Lord, our coming King. As you know, the Word goes forth by preaching. The Word goes forth by preaching. In this parable, Jesus is showing the special place of the proclamation of the word of God. He preaches about preaching and interprets this preaching about preaching to preach about how listeners hear preaching. We call it the parable of the sower most of the time, but in truth, it's really a parable about the four soils, the four soils upon which the seeds of the sower are cast. As you know, four of them. And these four soils teach us about the character of preaching God's word for the spread of his kingdom. Now, the first thing to observe about this passage of scripture and about the parable of the four soils is that the ministry of the gospel is not everywhere equally fruitful. Just as it's clear on a large farm there are patches of ground that are more fruitful and other places that are less fruitful. If you understand nothing else about the parable, this point is clear. Jesus runs us through the image of the four different kinds of soil, which all yield different results when the seed lands there. This is verses three through eight. And then he explains the reason for teaching in parables, which is a related matter. because parables keep some truths hidden, even while they reveal spiritual mysteries to those who believe by God's grace. And then finally, he interprets this parable, unpacking the spiritual condition of different people who correspond to each of the four kinds of soil upon which the seed of the word is cast. The ministry of the gospel is not everywhere equally fruitful. This is something of a comfort to anyone who has ever participated in any way in evangelism. If you've gone out to share the gospel, whether at your workplace, or at the boardwalk chapel, or with a stranger seated next to you on the airplane, we're all tempted to think that the power of persuasion lies in us, in the compelling testimony that we give, in our evangelistic zeal. or perhaps in our ability to deconstruct their objections. But in this parable, Jesus brings us back to reality. He says that the conversion of the sinner is an entirely spiritual matter. And though the word of God has an essential place in the process, how the person responds is as removed from us as the farmers removed from the process of germination. How many of you know a farmer? I used to know a lot of farmers when I grew up in a small farm town. And of all those farmers that I have ever known, I never knew a single one who would camp out in a sleeping bag next to his tree or next to his plant, thinking that his presence there, speaking to the tree, hugging it, stroking it, might somehow make it more fruitful. No, farmers are smart enough to sleep in their own homes, in their own bed. Understanding that it would be a waste to stay there with the seed, what they need to do is stand back and let nature do its work by God's design, of course. That is, plants grow through the combination of soil and water and sunlight. The farmer simply has to wait for this to happen. And it's the same with God's word. God's word will have different effect indifferent hearers according to how God purposes, not according to the skill of the messenger. Consider how the Apostle Paul reflects upon the uniqueness of various people in the church for how they responded to the word. Turn to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 2 to the beginning of 5. He writes, we give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. And in 1 Thessalonians 2.13, it says, we also thank God constantly for this, that when you receive the word of God, which you heard from us, you accept it not as the word of men, but as it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. See, they were that soil prepared. They didn't hear the gospel as just another message, just one more thing being marketed to them. But God so worked in them by the power of the Holy Spirit that their faith was manifested and was evident. God did it. With the Corinthians, Paul jumps back to this image of a plant. I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the growth. And at the same time, whenever there's a lack of growth, that also is a reflection of spiritual dynamics quite outside of the control of the evangelist. In 2 Corinthians, the apostle describes the methodology of his preaching and evangelism, simply the open statement of the truth. And he says, and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4, 3 and 4. The message of the gospel is not always greeted with the same response. And so we ought to understand this and not expect anything different. I sometimes think of the great preachers and theologians of church history as having been so mightily used by the Lord that they could never be discouraged the way a preacher today is sometimes discouraged. But nothing could be further from the truth. Preachers in every age of the church have been discouraged, even the finest of preachers. No finer preacher than John Calvin was no doubt discouraged by having to minister in exile and by being in a congregation that showed only mixed enthusiasm to his ministry. And after a lifetime of labors, there was only a fledgling church in backwoods Geneva to show for it. from firsthand experience that he reflects on this parable of the sower and says the ministers of the word today ought to seek consolation from this passage if the success of their labors does not always correspond to their wish. You see, he understood that, and he wanted to comfort others to know that how the word goes to work is not within the control of the one preaching that word. Clearly, we shouldn't expect every hearer to respond the same way to the message of God's kingdom when the gospel is proclaimed. But we could be more specific. The gospel ministry is not everywhere equally fruitful. But in this passage, Jesus shows the reasons for that. See, Jesus doesn't simply describe two soils. He tells us about four different soils, only one of which is ultimately fruitful. for the seed. He would have us to stop and to consider the range of explanations for the times when a person may hear the word of God with their ears, and yet it never results in faith or a transformed life. And here, let's go back and read that essential passage again from verses 18 to 23 in our passage, Matthew 13, 18 to 23. Hear then the parable of the sower, Jesus says. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what's been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. And when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. And he indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case, 100-fold, in another, 60, and in another, 30. Of these four soils, the first that Jesus describes corresponds with the seed landing on the path where the soil is packed hard. So it simply sits there for a time before the birds come and eat it. Jesus tells us this is like when the evil one, and Satan is mentioned by name when this parable is found in the Gospel of Mark. This is when the evil one snatches it away before it's really heard with faith. Now, how does Satan do this? Does he pester us in a way that we can see in very obvious ways, sort of like a spiritual hamburglar? No, of course not. Satan is always more subtle than that. He is deceptive above all. Satan is most effective when he appeals to our pride and self-sufficiency in having us willing to go along with what he desires, even if it means ignoring the Word of God. See, some may hear and not understand, but I'd be willing to say the vast majority of times when the devil succeeds with people in this way, those people are very complicit They're listening, and yet they're thinking about how these words would apply much better to their spouse or to their neighbor or their friend or their child. The evil one would have people to not understand. And in context here, that's not just about mental comprehension. Verses 14 and 15 show that understanding describes fully receiving the word, receiving it through saving faith. And so it's an easy victory for Satan when the mind is occupied or the heart is hardened to prevent the words having a place to take root. The second the word goes out, the spiritual warfare begins. But secondly, Jesus in the parable tells us of the seed that fails to reach fruitfulness because of the second soil, verses 20 and 21. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while. And when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. On first impression, this soil seems very promising, like a plant that shows an early sprout or shoot before the weather changes and it becomes too hot. These people, at first, show a joyful response to the word. But what changes? Jesus mentions tribulation or persecution. To me, I think it's clear the problem is not tribulation or persecution. In Romans 5 or James 1 or in 1 Peter, it tells us Tribulation and persecution is what helps you to grow in faith, right? Those are not at odds with a person believing. So what's going on in Matthew 13? Those who are like the rocky soil wither from tribulation on account of the word, when the word itself is not really loved. It's when someone is called to bear the cross, and that's simply more than they're willing to endure. If you think of it this way, you can no doubt think of examples, perhaps from your experience, those who were immature believers, who didn't want to give up some social status to follow Jesus. Or they found it just too much when Jesus called them to sexual purity in their life. Or maybe they refused to accept some hard providence as ordained by God, and so they philosophize some reason to say, no, this Christianity is not for me. The Bible is clear that cross-bearing is hard for believers, but impossible for the hypocrite. That's why we read about stories of hypocrites in the Bible. Simon the magician in Acts 8, or other people whose stories we don't know as well, Janice and Jambres, even Judas. Judas couldn't bear the cross when following Jesus and giving up connections to money or power to live for God's kingdom. And so likewise, we shouldn't be surprised when early joy in hearing God's word is replaced by resentment over the things entailed in living the Christian life for some. That's what Jesus describes. Before coming to Pennsylvania to take up this new place of ministry, I was a minister in New England, an area of America famously condemned by revival preachers for having quickly fallen away from discipleship, although the gospel was received at first with great joy. And so New England was called a place of rocky soil, rocky soil, which is funny, because the ground there, it really is rocky. But this is not simply a New England issue. This applies wherever the word of God is heard, but enthusiasm is short-lived. The third soil is described in verse 22. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but that cares of the world. And the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Jesus lists this as the third kind of bad soil, which is effective in stopping the growth of the seed, short-circuiting how the word is received. What is it that has the capacity of choking like a thorn? Jesus mentions the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches. Those are very broad categories, but I think that's the point. Cares and desires of all sorts can choke out spiritual growth by the word if it is enough of a distraction. Can a career do that? Yes, of course. Can a relationship do that? Of course. Can an obsession with politics do that? Yeah, of course. You name it. Just about anything in our life can take that disproportionate role. That's the point of idolatry, when we worship something of the created order rather than the creator himself. We're tempted to seek after some pleasure, some security, some significance in the creative thing. And yet it says in Psalm 115, when we seek after those things rather than the Lord, it deadens us. It numbs us to God and to his glory. And ultimately, we're held captive to those things that we can see or touch or handle. We become slaves to what is temporal. In truth, There's a pretty healthy field of thorns in each of our hearts. And that field of thorns has the potential to choke out the growth of God's word in our lives, to prevent true spiritual fruit. However, the good news is thorns can be uprooted, and they can be cast on the burning pile. And of course, that happens. as a disproportionate love for the world is exposed and cast off through ordinary old repentance, lest those thorns choke out the plant of God's grace in our life. And yet, where the Lord has cultivated the soil, the fruit of the gospel ministry abounds. This is the last soil, the good soil. And it teaches that among those whom God blesses, fruit abounds. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case, a hundredfold, in another, 60, in another, 30. Notice the bumper crop that Jesus describes here. If you try to be too realistic, why does he pick a hundredfold, 60 or 30? He'll send you down the wrong path. The church fathers had some interesting ideas about that. These are big round numbers symbolizing great fruit. My wife and I do a tiny bit of gardening, but we know people who are really good at gardening. And if they plant summer squash or zucchinis, there's no doubt a point each summer where they are so overrun by those things. They come to church trying to cast them on anyone who will Take them home in their car. Zucchini and summer squash. Some of you know what I'm talking about. See, when a plant thrives, it produces a great harvest. And so it is with God's kingdom, that where the soil of the heart is prepared, it's not just that the word is understood and loved and believed. When a person comes to saving faith, their life is impacted, isn't it? Their priorities change. Their love for God begins to eclipse the things that would otherwise be priorities to them. They live in obedience to the Word of God. They serve others. Their lives show true spiritual fruits. And the wonderful thing about this kind of work of God's Word in our hearts is it doesn't stop with the individual, right? This is why it talks about 30 or 60 or 100. is because the life of one person is impacted and begins to affect another in their family or in their church, in their community. That's why it's such a bumper crop when that ground has been prepared by the Holy Spirit. Jesus returns to this image of fruitfulness of life in John 15. You might turn there with me. It's a couple great verses that we ought to quickly look to. John 15, verse 5, Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. And verse 7 and 8, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. and so prove to be my disciples. So the contrast between these soils that cannot bear any fruit and the one that abounds with fruit implicitly brings us to wonder, which one are we? How do you know which one represents your heart? Leaves us all looking for evidence But the most important evidence is when we are simply humbled for our sin and brought to a growing confidence in the sufficiency of Christ for our salvation. This is the distinctive work of the Holy Spirit. This is the essential fruit which appears in every good soil. Or to bring it back to John 15, verse 16, Jesus says, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. We believe based on the witness of the Bible itself that God's sovereignty is yet again clear. Whenever a person receives the word and shows himself to be like that good soil. By God's spirit, he sovereignly brings his loved ones to love that which is bringing this parable to us, the word of God, showing us to be a good soil. In other words, I would encourage you today, if you're wondering, which soil am I? I would encourage you to consider that your love for God's word is what makes you burdened to even have that thought. Your love for God's word, your curiosity to know which one you are, shows you are the good soil. Jesus assumes this in his listeners there as he teaches. He tells the disciples who are listening to him, to you it's been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. And in verses 16 and 17, blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. See, he would encourage those who are listening with joy and with conviction to know that they are that good soil. But even as you hear this, and even as I encourage you with the news that your faith, your love for God's Word shows what kind of soil you are, I also want to remind you that God is not finished with you yet. And because God is not finished, that no doubt involves more fruitfulness than you have shown thus far. That fruit must abound 30-fold or 60-fold or 100-fold, and he's not done yet. And until that work is done in you or done in the rest of God's people through the gospel ministry, that sowing needs to continue. It needs to continue as you long for and listen attentively to the word of God as you love it and meditate upon it. Of course, it's why we continue in mission. in bringing the word of God to those who have not heard, and seeking to extend the reach of the church of Jesus Christ, as we are hoping to do even in our presbytery. Our desire is that the word of God would go forth, that the seed would be sown, and that by God's design, it would reach that good soil, prepared by the Holy Spirit, where that seed takes root and fruit abounds. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word that you have preserved and passed down to us and that now we can hold freely in our hands and hear freely from this pulpit. And Father, we know that your word is true and brings us to know the great things of your kingdom. Help us, O Lord, through this parable to understand more of the essential character of the ministry of the word in our own life, but in the mission of the church. Help us to not be fearful of how the word is received, but to leave that to you in prayer and simply be bold in our proclamation. Father, we thank you that by your spirit, you grant the very thing that we need, that is ears to hear and a heart to receive. We pray that you would give us those ears and that heart this day, continuing your good work in us until it's complete in Jesus Christ. Amen.