Amen. Well, if you have your Bible with you this morning, please turn with me once again to Matthew chapter 13. We began this chapter last week, and we will be continuing here as we dive into the third discourse that the Lord Jesus provides in this gospel. And this discourse being about the parables of the kingdom. So in chapter 13, our focus text is going to be on the parable of the sower, which is going to span verses 1 through 23. Although as I focused on the middle section of the words that Christ gave his disciples regarding why he spoke in parables, We are going to actually be looking more at the text before that explanation and after his interpretation of the parable here this morning. Well, let us now hear the wonderful Word of God written for you and for me today. On the same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to him, so that he got into a boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some 100-fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came and said to him, why do you speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance. But whoever does not have, Even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now, he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some 60, some 30. Amen. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. Let us go before him in prayer, asking his blessing on the preaching of it. Our gracious God and heavenly Father, we pray that you would open our eyes to see and open our ears to hear, that we would understand and know and grow in the wonderful and glorious truth that you have in this passage, in this parable. O Holy Spirit, work mighty things in us that we would bear much fruit. And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Well, beloved church, God is sovereign over creation. We know this well. He is sovereign over revelation. He is sovereign over salvation. As Jesus came preaching the arrival of the kingdom of heaven, he did so knowing full well that he had complete sovereignty over the eyes, the ears, and the hearts of men. You can see this clearly in Matthew's gospel and the rest of scripture, that God does the work of changing and opening hearts or hardening them in accordance with his will and his decree of election. In other words, Jesus saves and opens eyes to see and to know him and the Father according to his sovereign choice. This is the message that Jesus pressed to his disciples when they asked him why he shifted from preaching with plain words to the people to preaching to them in parables. As you considered the hard words that Jesus taught them about his choice of words last week, was it hard for you to hear that God has given knowledge of the hidden things of the kingdom to his people, but has intentionally withheld it from those on the outside? Like you heard in verse 11. Though it was awesome to see Jesus again fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy and what he said and did, was it hard to hear, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them? Verse 15b. And yet as you consider the answer to those questions, where should your comfort and your confidence lie? with these words. It should lie in the holiness and perfection of God in his sovereignty and its compatibility with human responsibility. Remember the coupling Christ makes in the description of the people's sin and their willful blindness and hardness in 15a. Before he began with lest, he said, For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed." And his words of judicial blindness in 15b is the just punishment of their sin. But your comfort and confidence should also lie in Paul's command to Philippi in Philippians 2, beginning in verse 12, where he says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Here is what you were called to do, persevere in obedience, keep pressing on, but know the work of God in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And so knowing why Jesus spoke to the people in parables, let's now consider the first parable in his seaside sermon, the parable of the sower, or as some also refer to it as the parable of the soils. This morning, we'll look at the seed by the wayside in verses three and four, and the interpretation in 18 and 19. The seed on stony places, verses five and six, and its interpretation in 20 and 21. The seed among thorns, in verse seven, and the interpretation in 22. And the seed on good ground, in eight and nine, and its interpretation in 23. But as we begin in verse three and look at this first category of seed, we read there, then he spoke many things to them in parables saying, behold, a sower went out to sow. So before we get to the actual seed and what is going on there, it's helpful to consider for a moment what is actually happening here with this sower. As many of you know, sowing seed or planting crops back then, it was an all-day, even multi-day endeavor. Even today with all of the high-tech tractors and all of the equipment that are available, depending on the size of the land that you have and that you farm, the same is still true. It takes a lot of time. As sowers in Christ's day would cast their seed by hand, it was a slow and methodical process. Indeed, many hands working together to sow was much appreciated and preferred. Landowners would often have many workers in the fields. And in speaking to the value of diligence, Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 11, verse 6, In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening Do not withhold your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will do good." So here was this morning and evening practice. Of course, there were things happening during the day as well as they continued their labors, but this morning and evening practice of sowing the seed, right? letting it be cast by your hand, not knowing what the Lord would bless. Maybe he would bless both. And so what's the helpful lesson here? Admitting the mysteries of divine providence should fuel diligence in what you do, resting in the assurance that the success or the failure of what you do is in God's hands. It's according to his will. and you're in good hands. But as Jesus goes on in verse 4 of Matthew 13, he continues to explain, As he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. Now as Jesus sets this sowing scene, notice that he doesn't begin with seed cast on soil of any kind of value. No, he begins with seed that fell out of the bounds of the field, so to speak. Know that as the sower sowed the seed, they walked through the fields, scattering it as they cast it in the air toward the ground, and the seed Jesus speaks of first fell on the road, which was untillable. It was useless ground. Now, some of you may be thinking, Pastor, if this parable is focused on seed and soil, why does he speak of seed cast on the road? Beloved, see that the road is a type of ground. It is a type of soil. Further, know that Luke adds in Luke 8, verse 5, in the parallel passage, that prior to the birds coming, the seed was trampled down. Though the plow never churned the ground to go on top of this seed, those walking and traveling on the road walked on it, pressing it in, but it was still on the surface, still visible to birds where it wouldn't be profitable for growth. It hadn't been churned under. It didn't have good, healthy soil on top or underneath or around it to provide nutrient. But now as we consider this sowing venture, what is Jesus referring to in the sowing? This is the preaching of the word. And the seed is the gospel of Christ. It's the good news of the kingdom of heaven. The soil is the hearts of men. See Christ as the sower and his disciples as scent sowers. of the gospel. Jesus here again was teaching his disciples and is teaching you today to know what was true as Christ himself preached the good news, as well as know what they could expect in the reception and the fruit of the gospel as they cast it forth. Now as Jesus told the multitudes the words in verses 3 and 4, along with the rest of the parable. And having explained why he did what he did, consider what he reveals to the true spiritual Israel, to those who have blessed ears to hear. Look at verses 18 and 19. Therefore, hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside." Again, he had just said, "'Blessed are your ears, my disciples, for they hear.'" And so now hear the parable. Hear its true meaning and its interpretation clearly. Indeed, they heard the words of the parable, which weren't complex words. This, in many ways, was kind of a simple story. But they were now going to hear the divine interpretation of it. And this was the interpretation that went beyond the farming illustration. It brought clarity to their minds, it brought comfort to their hearts, and it brought zeal to their walk. as the sermon about the kingdom had been preached into the ears of the multitudes of people, those with dead hearts and closed ears are those who hear the word but never meditate on it. They never lay it up in their hearts. They have no interest. They have no God-given zeal to do it. They don't turn the word over in their minds and feed upon it and meditate upon it. And then Satan, who fears the word being digested into the soul, comes like the birds, through temptations and distractions, through stirring up other thoughts, as he still has possession of that soul. He snatches away the word that was pressed into that ground. It never took any root. It had no impact. It was rejected from the beginning. But I want you to see, hearing this, I want you to see the connections and continuity from the preceding chapters. Again, sometimes we take portions of Scripture and we look at them in and of themselves, which is important, but we also need to understand the interpretation of what Christ is saying in the broader context and where it sits in that broader context, because this was all one fluid message coming from the lips of Christ. And so see the connections and continuities from the preceding chapters where Jesus laid out the nature of bad trees, as he laid out the presence and work of demonic forces, along with the nature and fruit of dead hearts. And you see all of this lays and locks right in step with what he has already been teaching. Notice that as Jesus goes on to preach the hearts of men and their receipt of the gospel, he moves on the spectrum of this hardness to lesser hardness of soil. He moves from the hardest to the most fertile as he moves through these soil types. And so we see secondly, the seed on stony places. Look at verses five and six. Some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth. And they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched. And because they had no root, they withered away. Kids, sometimes you may have experienced this type of thing in a science project, right, where you put a seed in a little bit of ground, brought up a little shoot, But that shoot never took root, and it soon withered away." Here we see the interpretation also in verse 20 where he says, but he who received the seed on stony places is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Okay, different than the seed on the wayside. He hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in him, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, notice, immediately he stumbles. Beloved Herod, is a good example of such stony ground, so is Judas Iscariot. You may be wondering, Pastor, what are you talking about? Herod, really? Consider what Mark said about Herod hearing the word from John the Baptist in Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 19. Therefore Herodias held it against him, meaning John the Baptist, and wanted to kill him, but she could not. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly." Notice. Now, some of you, again, may not be familiar with or remember this view of Herod towards John. But though Herod heard the word and was glad, for a moment, he had no root of faith. The wickedness of his heart was made clear as he ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded after being pressed by Herodias' daughter. We know of many other things, wicked things that Herod did. We also know his end, what happened to him in judgment. But regarding Judas, he took part of ministry and apostleship. By sin, he fell and went to his own place. We are told in Acts 1.25. And further, we're told even in the Lord's Supper account that Jesus knew he was a devil. Matthew Poole, a well-known commentator, says this about this type of stony ground. I think it's helpful. This is a helpful illustration. The Word of God does often suddenly affect some persons whom it doesn't take any deep root. A sudden passion surprises them, which is but like the flowing of a brook, which is quickly down. Many of you, especially here in New Braunfels or even in the San Antonio area, we have rivers going through our city. We know that when there are heavier rains, what comes and hits upstream comes downstream. The water levels rise, but then as soon as that is through, they go back down. Very similar type of idea here. There is no sustaining route in them because they have none. Now see the two causes of such hearers falling away in verse 21 of Matthew 13. First, the absence of the internal root of faith that gives constancy and gives the plant grounding. But secondly, the external work of persecution. They believe for a while And then in times of temptation and pressure and notice because of the word, that's important, they are made uneasy by the offense of Christ. They are made uneasy by the offense of the cross. That when danger comes in times of trouble and affliction from the enemy against them, they fall away. Now some people hear and study this parable and think this seed on stony ground teaches that people can be saved and then maybe lose their salvation. They think that such people can be in a state of grace and be justified even, but it doesn't last. However, that flies in the face of everything else that the Bible teaches about the perseverance and preservation of the saints. Remember what Jesus taught in chapter 12. There are only two kinds of people, spiritually speaking, good trees and bad trees. John tells us in 1 John 1, you're of the light or you're of the darkness. Those who God saves, he preserves to the end, Psalm 37, verse 39. Further, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1.13. He supports and works in you to endure, to stand on Christ in faith, in the face of the enemy, even to death, and you stand before Jesus. That is the evidence of a true root of faith. False conversions are like the seed that falls on the small amount of soil under which there are stones. It takes root for a second, but the roots don't go deep enough to sustain life. It springs up quickly, but it withers and dies as soon as the sun comes up, bringing no fruit whatsoever. And that's important to remember. Commenting on false conversions, Dr. R.C. Sproul says this, that they are one of the greatest dangers we deal with in the church. He says, I always say that we are not justified by a profession of faith, but by the possession of genuine faith. Anyone can say that they believe and have their hearts tingling for a moment, but real conversion turns your life upside down. And that's true. Life changed by Christ. But considering this, beloved, receive the comfort of Paul in Philippians 1.6, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. You have many wonderful, true promises of God in his ongoing, sustaining, and continuing work in you. where he will complete that great work of sanctification in you till the day of Christ. The apostle John, again in 1 John 2 verse 19, says this in regards to people who were once part of the church, but then left the church. He said, they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." Again, there are two kinds of trees, good trees and bad trees. First, John presses in this epistle as well, you're either of the light or you're of the darkness. It's one or the other. And so, yes, those who turn their back on Christ and walk away are apostates who were never truly of the redeemed. And that becomes manifest. But also notice that their departures didn't rock John's faith. They didn't cause him to doubt. No, he stood strong on Christ among the faithful, among the us. And so as we consider these, see the seed cast on stony places as the gospel is cast there. Let's now consider the seed among thorns. Verse seven of Matthew 13. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them." Again, with this agriculture and farming picture, you see what's going on. You can relate to it, those who farm. If you planted seed and you've got thorns and you've got weeds, what are they going to be doing to the plants that you want? It often chokes it out. The weeds prosper and the good plants don't. But who is Jesus pointing to here? Look at verse 22. Now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. So beloved, like the seed that falls on stony ground, these take root. It may be that their profession of faith lasts a little longer than those who fell on the stones. However, see that the seed that falls on the thorns never leaves the thorns and is choked by them. Think of these words in Matthew chapter 19, beginning in verse 23. Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Remember when the rich man came to Christ, Christ told him to sell all that he had and follow him. The rich man was disappointed. That was a hard saying for him to follow. Riches can deceive. They can grab hold and Seek to choke you out. Remember also Paul's instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, beginning in verse six. Now godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing with these, we shall be content. And notice verse nine, but those who desire to be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." This is a great description. of those amongst the thorns who are consumed with riches." Again, it is Christ's teaching that wealth in and of itself is the problem. Now, he blesses many faithful brothers and sisters with wealth, but you have to be good stewards of it. Your heart has to be in the right place where much is given, much is required. But when the love of money and greed takes over. It will choke you out. It will take you down the path that leads to destruction. And this is what we see in 1 Timothy 6, among other passages. And so, beloved, one's love for the things of this world, his falling for and obsessing over the lies that riches tell, seeking to acquire more and more of them, exposes the ground of his heart. Those thorns choke out the seed of the Word, and this is why John warns you again in 1 John 2. It's a great chapter, especially on this subject. I encourage your study of it. In 1 John 2, beginning in verse 15, where he says, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. Again, the lures of the world, the lures of the flesh, True believers must have a different relationship with sin. They have a different relationship with Christ, and therefore they have a different relationship with the world. They must. And yet we battle with this. We battle with such temptations every day, every week. But yet John's words are true. But he who does the will of God abides forever. Know the traps and the lures, my friends. Hack them down as you walk the paths of righteousness, and those thorns seek to grab your ankles and suck you down. Resist their barbs instead of embracing them. Some of you may wonder, is it possible for those who have road-like or stony or thorny hearts in one period of time to still be of the elect, yet to be revealed at a later point in time? I believe the clear answer is yes. Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He studied at the feet of Gamaliel. He knew the law. He heard the gospel and initially rejected it. Maybe rejected it many times in his zealous persecution of Christ and his church. But that was until Christ saved him on that road. And therefore, what must we do? We must continue to preach the word to all men. praying for God's mercy and work in them, that they would bear good fruit if they truly will have the root in salvation. Yet Jesus reveals to you the abundant life in the good soil. Look finally at the seed on good ground in verses 8 and 9. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And he further expounds in verse 23, that he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces. Notice that. Bears good fruit, but produces. Now you could say, well, producing is really the bearing of fruit. Okay, agreed on the one hand. But the point is that this fruit continues to grow. The production continues in the heart that is good soil that the seed is in. And so as you think about this seed on the good ground, know why it's considered by God to be good. It's good because it's ground that has been changed by the Holy Spirit. The seed takes root in it because the Holy Spirit has plowed it. He has prepared it. He has made it fertile, which is something that we cannot do for ourselves. James speaks about the implanted word. and be doers of the word, not hearers only. The Spirit is the one who makes the stony heart flesh, who gives men and women experiential knowledge of the mysteries of God and the mysteries of heaven. He gives you the ability both to hear and to understand the word by faith and love it. The Spirit's work results in the fruit of obedience and perseverance in you, And indeed, some of you may wonder why Jesus identifies the three amounts of fruit production. He's teaching you the reality that though all believers continue to bear good fruit, it will be seen in varying degrees. Nevertheless, the presence of good fruit shows forth genuine faith. And so as you ponder this passage today, I ask you, what soil is your heart? Some of you may be wondering, Pastor, again, how do I know if I am truly saved? We've been considering this over the last few chapters, haven't we? How do I know that I'm not a false convert? How do I know if my heart isn't stone or thorns? Can I have confidence that I won't be like Judas? These are good and important questions. that we've been considering the answer to regarding what comfort and confidence, what assurance in the scriptures you can have. Beloved, if you possess faith, God gives you knowledge and insight to answer questions like, does the Holy Spirit dwell in your heart? Has your life been changed by the regenerating grace of God, the Holy Spirit? Indeed, only God knows your heart. That is true. I believe your concern speaks to the work of grace in you. The test for you and others to consider is your confession coupled with the fruit that you bear. Commit the testimony of the Apostle John in 1 John 2, beginning in verse 3 to memory. Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself to walk just as he walked. Again, the fruits of conversion, the fruits of obedience. Beloved, if you belong to Jesus, when you hear Christ's words, when you hear the word of the living God, you love it, you embrace it, and you by grace seek to obey it for the long haul. Trust God's promise to you. that he will preserve his people. And therefore keep running the race set before you. Keep Paul's message and words in mind. Don't be running that race while you're looking back behind you. Keep your eyes focused on the prize. Because looking back behind you with doubt and uncertainty only leads to slowing your run, causing you to trip. but keep running the race that has set before you. Keep fighting the good fight of faith. Keep pressing forward to work out your salvation in fear and trembling, being confident of God's work according to his will in you to will and to do for his good pleasure. You are not alone. The living God is at work in you and through you as you belong to him. Indeed, being confident that he will complete that good work that he began in you until Christ returns. This is a challenging passage. This is a challenging parable, beloved, but this is also a great and comforting passage, I pray, to encourage you to keep walking and to keep running for Christ. Be diligent in your obedience. Don't be slack. but seek every day in every way to do and say what is right and good for his glory. Amen. Well, praise God for his word. Let's pray together. Our gracious God and heavenly father, we praise you for this truth of your word. We praise you for the precision that you, Lord Jesus, bring about in the details of showing the nature of people's hearts We thank you for the comfort that you bring by the work of the Spirit, even to show us, to give us experiential knowledge, to give us understanding of the truth that we may grow in trust and hope and joy in Jesus. We pray that you would be with us as your people. Give us great confidence in Christ, that we would serve him well. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.