Our scripture reading will come from Luke 8. We'll be reading verses 4 to 15. I would invite you to rise for the reading of God's Word. This is God's holy and infallible Word. Luke 8, verse 4. And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, a sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot. And the birds of the air devoured it and some fell on the rock. And as it grew up, it withered away because it had no moisture. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil, and grew and yielded a hundredfold. As he said these things, he called out, he who has ears, let him hear. And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of testing, fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go along their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in the honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you in your word to explore the treasures that can be found in this parable that you have given to us. We ask, Lord, that you'd be with us and you would send your spirit upon us as we try to understand the mysteries that are given to us regarding the kingdom of God. Heavenly Father, all these things we ask in your son's name, amen. Please be seated. Kids, if I were to ask you who your favorite teacher was, I'm curious who you would pick. I'm also curious why you would pick that person as your favorite teacher. I know for me, going back to middle school, I can think of Mrs. Rose, who was my science teacher. And she taught me many different things about science and biology and physics. One thing she taught that I'll never forget is that the powerhouse of the cell is the mighty mitochondria. She would find fun and interesting ways to communicate this to us. She also taught us the Bernoulli principle, that principle which gives airplanes flight and how we understand this process of airplanes flying once they have enough thrust. I'm sure the pilots in the room can give me more education on that. But perhaps, while I'm asking you this question, you too are remembering someone who has taught you in a special way, making sure that you understood the content rightly. And so the same thing is true here with the text that is before us. Jesus, the greatest of all teachers, is trying to teach something to his disciples, but in a different way than he's taught before. In this text, we are introduced to the teaching of parables. And this is unique to our Lord's ministry here on earth. And the way he goes about teaching this, he strikes his listeners with confusion. But to those who have ears, let him hear. So in this text, Christ is revealing to us the different types of hearts and how they respond to the hearing of God's word. In so doing, he not only reveals to us the hearts of those who hear his word, but he also makes us reflect on our own hearts and the nature of our own hearts. As well as the consequence of not coming to his word with good soil. So let's look at the text before us in three different sections. First, the parable itself. And then we'll look at the inquiry that the disciples have about the parable. And then we'll look finally at the meaning of the parable. So, before we jump straight to the meaning of the parable, let's look at the parable itself in verses 4 to 8. Let's re-read this together. And when a great crowd was gathering, and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, a sower went to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it, and some fell along the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away. because it had no moisture. And some among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold. And as he said these things, he called out, he who has ears, let him hear." So the text before us opens up in a very ordinary way. Christ arrives to a location and a crowd gathers. And why wouldn't they? I mean Christ is a wonderful teacher. He even goes so far as to work wonders and miracles. He casts out demons. He heals the sick and he gives sight to the blind. So of course a crowd would naturally gather to a man like this. But Christ knows what is really going on in the hearts of this crowd. Christ knows that not all in this crowd have gathered to hear what he has to say. they only care about what He can do. The crowd wants to be impressed. Many in the crowd have gathered to Him as we would gather to a show to be entertained. They don't want to hear what He has to say. So, this leads Christ to teach them as He usually does, but He teaches them in such a way that is unique to His ministry through a parable. In this parable Christ uses a common event that we're all familiar with, farming. Christ uses the event of a farmer going out and throwing his seed out into his field. Much like we would just go driving through the country and we would see farmers planting their crop or pulling in the harvest and fall. So what Christ is doing here is making a comparison between a real world situation and the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God. And so because this is a reality of the kingdom of God, this parable has come to be known as a kingdom parable. So at its core, Christ is calling us back to an Old Testament imagery which can be found in Isaiah 55 10 which says, for the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Christ outlines four kinds of soil. He outlines the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil. So, let's walk through those different types together. So, first the path. The path being the road in which people would travel, a soil which is stiff, and hard, and solid. The The seed, when it lands on it, doesn't even stand a chance. It's instantly confined to its fate. It's either stepped on by those who are walking by, or it's eaten up by the birds for food. It's clear that this soil is not able to absorb the seed and faithfully provide for what it needs. Next is the rock. or the rocky soil. And this rocky soil has some dirt, and so the roots are able to reach down and grab hold of some of that dirt, but there's not enough moisture in this dirt because of the rocks. And so when the sun comes out, that instrument, which is usually necessary, it's always necessary for healthy plant growth, it dries out the seed and causes it to wither away. And then after this Christ reveals to us that seed which is tossed amongst the thorns. That constant frustration of the farmer, those weeds that are always present in the garden or the field. That kind of soil which once the seed has landed, the thorny weeds are working their way in with the purpose of choking out the seed as it struggles to grow. That kind of soil where the farmer is unable to seed the thorns until both the seed and the thorns have grown up together. And because of this, the farmer and his Frustration at the thorns is unable to do anything about it, because now the roots of the thorns and the seed are so intertwined, if you were to pull up the thorns, you'd pull up the seed with it. And then finally, the good soil. And this soil, notably by its name, is rich and full of nourishment for the seed. It's able to grow and to blossom. That area of this soil is covered, this area which the soil has covered has no doubt been tended to by the farmer. He has personally seen that this soil would be ripe for the receiving of the seed. It's in this soil that the farmer knows that his plant will grow. And he knows that he will yield a harvest. And Christ even goes as far to call this harvest the hundredfold harvest. And this is the result of the work of the farmer. Not the seed, but the farmer. Because it is he that planted it. It's he that tended to its labor. And then finally Christ concludes this parable with this saying, he who has ears let him hear. And on some level this should strike us as a little bit of an odd statement. We all have ears, we all heard the text be read. The crowd most likely had ears, I think it's a safe assumption we can say that they had ears, so they heard. But yet Christ says, he who has ears, let him hear. So what could Christ mean by this parable? And so the question to us tonight is, does this parable confuse us or does it cause us to want to know more of what Christ is saying? And this ultimately leads Christ's faithful followers, his disciples, to bring forth to him a question. And this question is found in verses nine and 10. So this is the second point, the inquiry. I'm going to re-read verses 9 and 10 again. And when his disciples asked him what the parable meant, he said, to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. So let's imagine for a moment if we were placed in this crowd's original context, or even the disciples, I imagine we might even have the same question. What does this mean? Why are you all of a sudden switching from clear message to parables, which aren't so clear? And that then brings us to the purpose of why Christ is speaking in parables. And in these two verses, he speaks about that. So as we've already stated, Christ is making a real world example and comparing it to a heavenly spiritual reality. And through this comparison, Christ is actually seeking to conceal something from the crowd and reveal something to his disciples, to his followers, his faithful followers. To the disciples, first, Christ makes known something special that they have been given. He says, to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God. More literally, maybe translated, one of these words would be better read as, to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Christ makes clear to his disciples that they are specially chosen to understand that which the crowd is not enabled to understand. The disciples of Christ are therefore given a special access to understanding of the operations of the kingdom of God. And so to those of Christ's elect, his disciples, Christ continues to say in Matthew 13, which is the same account given with a little bit more detail. But in Matthew 13, he also continues to say in this same account, blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see and did not see it. and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. So the question could be asked, what exactly is this mystery which Christ is revealing to his faithful followers? And the word here, which is used in the Greek, is really only used when Christ is talking about that which is hidden in parables. So this mystery is then connected to what Christ reveals about the nature of the Kingdom of God. More specifically, the nature of the hearts of those who hear the Word of God and how they receive it. So to us, who are God's chosen, we have been enabled by the working of the Holy Spirit to see that which has been concealed in the Old Testament and is being brought to light in Jesus' ministry. To the crowd, however, the reality of the parable is hidden from them, and this is due to the hardness and the blindness of their hearts. And the reason for this is twofold. First, the use of parable displays Christ's judgment on the crowd. So, for those who have been following Him now, all throughout His ministry, Christ's message has been clear. Repent, believe, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. But in Christ's infinite wisdom, knowing the true hearts of His followers up to this point, they're not getting the message. And so, Christ's judgment to the crowd is to no longer make this message clear to them. And one commentator says that accordingly Christ now proceeds as a judgment upon their stubborn blindness to speak in parables for the short period that he will still be among them before the crucifixion. But, This is also displaying Christ's love and grace to the crowd. Because Christ knows, as in James 3.1, that those who know more will be judged greater. And so Christ is choosing to conceal this information. And so this shift represents Christ's love for those around him who do not understand, so that, as the same commenter says, so that their guilt might not accumulate. The Lord no longer addresses them directly, but in explicit teachings during the period immediately preceding his crucifixion. And Matthew 13, again, elaborates more on this. So Isaiah 6, 6-10 says, Keep on hearing, but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Well, this then brings Christ to instantly just bring to us the meaning of this parable in verses 11 to 15. Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God, the ones along the path are those who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they heard the word, receive it with joy, but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of testing, fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but they go on their way, and they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. So here Christ outlines five elements of the parable. In the beginning we had four, but Christ outlines for us five. That first element is the seed. That is the very word of God. That which is infallible and inerrant, this is Christ himself, the Lagos. The same Lagos which John proclaims was there in the beginning, the beginning of the world. The word which was with God and is God. The word made flesh. This seed is also seen as the word which is proclaimed by Christ during his ministry, which is also seen as that which is inspired by the Holy Spirit and given and to be given and heralded by his apostles and today the church. This is that message which we are called to proclaim to all nations and to all peoples. Christ continues to make clear that when the seed which is scattered lands on the hearts of those who hear the word, it is received in different ways. This is represented by the different kinds of soils. And so Christ's application question for us tonight is where are our hearts? Where is your heart? Where is my heart? First, the seed which comes to those whose heart is hard and stiff like that of the road. Christ makes clear that to you there is no salvation. In fact, whatever could have come from your hearing of the word, Jesus explains that the devil comes in a swift comes in swiftly to consume and destroy any hope of it planting root. John Calvin even expounds on this saying, this enemy of our salvation, as soon as the doctrine of salvation is delivered, watches and rushes forth to seize it before it acquires moisture and springs up. And so we come again to the question, where are our hearts this evening? If we find ourselves in a place of stiff hardness, it is the desire of Christ that we turn from this hardness of heart and repent, to run to him before it is too late, to run to him who is the source of living water, who is able to give nourishment to our souls. Secondly, Christ speaks of the word coming to those whose hearts are rocky. the heart of those who receive the word with enthusiasm and excitement, but during time of trial, they fall away. This sadly is a faith of surface level, a surface level faith. It does not penetrate into the heart. The rockiness is such that when this persecution comes, we have no root. We have nothing to, no firm foundation. And so as such, the seed is taken away. They turn from the word which they had heard, and whatever faith they had withers away. So the question is, where are our hearts this evening? Emotion and enthusiasm for God are wonderful things, and so too are intellectual conversations and studies of deep theology are wonderful things. But if we find that the word of God has not penetrated down into our hearts, We have no root. And so, with our emotions and our intellects, we must always remember that our love for God must come first, and it must be rooted in the word, which is ultimately rooted in our hearts. Thirdly, we have the soil which falls among the thorns. The thorns of the ground, the constant frustration of the farmer, but not this farmer. Christ makes clear that this is the heart which has heard the word, but becomes so choked by the cares and desires of this world, that it is ultimately consumed by the influences and cares and desires of this world. J.C. Ryle summarizes Christ's teaching as, the seed of the word when sown upon them is choked by the multitude of other things by which their affections are occupied. And so we come to the question again, where are our hearts this evening? And maybe a better way to ask this question with this specific set of soil is what are our hearts being consumed by? In today's culture, it's not hard for our hearts to be consumed by other things and distractions. We live in today in an age where society is telling us, yeah, it's okay to be a Christian, But you have to align those thoughts with my specific social agenda. And that social agenda could be social justice, LGBT, Black Lives Matter, critical race theory, you take your pick. But if we fall into the temptation of believing that it's the gospel plus something, the gospel plus anything, we've lost the gospel. For this, we must see that the word in us is being choked by all of these different worldly influences. And so we are then called by Christ to repent and return to Him, for it is in Him and only in Him that we are able to find resolution for whatever concerns this world. And it's in Him alone that we're able to find true comfort. And it's in Him alone that we're able to find the true answers that the world is seeking. And then finally, Christ brings us to that good soil The soil of which I spoke was the soil that the farmer has worked hard to preserve. make ready for the reception of the Word. This is the soil in which the heart of those Christ says they hold the Word fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience. And as Isaiah 55, 11 continuing from that Isaiah passage we read much earlier, the Word will not return to God empty. And just as it has served its purpose in the other three soils of convicting men and women with sin and leaving them without excuse before God, the word which is cast in the good soil accomplishes that which God purposed and succeeded in which got the reason why God sent it. And so where do we find our hearts this evening? I hope we find our hearts here in this soil, which Christ has preserved and worked through the power of his Holy Spirit, that soil which is able to bear a hundredfold harvest on the day of Christ's return. The heart which has heard the word is producing practical results in faith and practice, a heart of repentance, of belief and obedience towards God. So in closing, I'll leave you with this quote from J.C. Ryle. Let us leave this parable with a deep sense of danger and responsibility for all the hearers of the gospel. There are four ways in which we may hear the gospel, and of those four, only one is right. There are three kinds of hearers whose souls are in imminent peril. How many of these three kinds are to be found in every congregation? There is only one class of hearers which is right in the sight of God. What are we and do we belong to that one? And again, it is for this reason that Christ has come to die on a cross to bring to us that salvation so that way we may be reconciled with God and receive the word in faithfulness. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you. We ask, Lord, that this word which you have given to us would be made effectual unto our hearts, and that in all things that we do, we would give honor and glory to you, and that this word would continue to create in us a new life, and that we have died to sin, and that we are able to live to Christ and live for Christ. We ask that you would continue to work on us, sanctifying us by the work of your Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, all these things we ask in your son's name. Amen.