The Secrets of the Kingdom

All right, today we're studying Luke chapter 8, verse 4 through 21.

Luke 8:4–21

Please turn with me there while I open us up in prayer.

Father, I pray that you would be with us,

that you would prepare our hearts to receive your word,

that your word would bear much good fruit.

Father, I pray that it would be for your praise and for our good,

and I pray that you would help me to speak faithfully from your word.

And we pray in Christ's name, amen.

So Luke chapter 8, verses 4 through 21.

Luke 8:4–21

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 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 to hear,

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,

and 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 on their way,

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.

No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar,

or puts it under a bed,

but puts it on a stand,

so that those who enter may see the light.

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest,

nor is anything secret that will not be made known,

that will not be known,

and come to light.

Take care then how you hear,

for to the one who has,

more will be given,

and from the one who has not,

even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.

Then his mother and his brothers came to him,

but they could not reach him because of the crowd.

And he was told,

Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,

desiring to see you.

But he answered them,

My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God,

and do it.

Like many of you,

Carolyn and I divide our chores at home.

Some of them could go either way.

I take out the trash,

but Carolyn is perfectly fine at taking out the trash.

She just doesn't like doing that,

because it smells right.

But laundry is something that Carolyn should do,

because unfortunately,

I have a history of shrinking our clothes.

I don't want to.

I don't try to.

I really try not to.

But some,

I just miss the clothes, right?

So like, for example,

this sweater, right?

I thought I'd wear it today.

It's a little tight.

I'm not trying to show off my dad bod,

but it's,

sleeves are kind of short,

and it's one of my shrunken sweaters.

So I'm just going to roll up my sleeves

so I look hardworking instead of incompetent.

But ultimately,

it comes down to,

I think,

a failure to heed instructions for me, right?

I want to be quick and efficient

about getting stuff done,

but I could just take an extra 30 seconds,

read the instructions on the little tab,

right,

on my sweater,

or just remember,

Carolyn told me to check out the clothes

before I wash it,

and I could have avoided it, right?

And that's what our passage is about this morning.

We're studying Luke chapter 8,

Luke 8:4–21

verses 4 through 21,

and the main theme of this passage is

take care how you hear God's word.

Take care how you hear God's word.

Our passage is split up into three parts,

consisting of the parable of the sower,

in verses 4 through 15,

proverbs around light,

in verses 16 through 18,

and the encounter with Jesus and his family,

in verses 19 through 21.

So let's dive into the first part.

The section on the parable of the sower

takes up most of our passage,

and I'll be spending most of our time here.

It includes the parable itself,

a brief point about the purpose of parables,

and an explanation of the parable.

In verse 4,

where we see that Jesus' ministry

continues to attract a lot of attention,

people from town after town, it says,

have come to form a great crowd.

So far, he's healed people of physical illnesses,

such as leprosy and paralysis.

He's freed them from demonic oppression.

He's forgiven their sins,

even raised the man from the dead.

And people eerily want what Jesus is offering,

but the situation isn't as positive as it may seem.

For one, we know, we've learned that,

along with the increase in popularity,

there's been an increase in animosity and opposition.

Right?

The Jewish leaders, they oppose him.

They don't like him.

They don't like what he's saying and what he's doing.

And also, just because people are,

they want what Jesus is giving them,

it doesn't mean that they're receiving Jesus himself.

It doesn't mean that they want him himself.

It's possible to love the gift more than the giver,

and there are probably a lot of people in the crowd here

who are only interested in Jesus at this superficial level.

But Jesus continues his mission.

We read in chapter 4,

Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

So he continues to teach,

and he teaches them in the form of parables here.

What is a parable?

In the Bible, they are illustrative comparisons

meant to teach something.

Jesus taught with some 60 different parables

using illustrations from everyday life,

like family, housekeeping, farming, like here.

And his listeners,

they don't need special knowledge or vocabulary

to understand the illustrations in the parables.

But the difficulty of parables

is understanding the meaning underneath it all.

So here's Jesus' parable.

A sower goes out to sow his seed.

He's just scattering the seed liberally,

almost wastefully.

He scatters seed.

Some fall on unproductive ground,

and others fall on productive ground.

The unproductive parts have different issues.

First, there's a soil along the path.

So apparently in this field,

there were paths for walking,

walking through the field.

And these seeds got stepped on,

where they were easy pickings for birds,

because the ground was hard-packed,

and it couldn't go into the ground.

Second, there was the soil on the rock.

And when it says this,

this isn't like earth with small rocks in there,

but it's a thin layer of soil

that sits on top of a base of limestone,

which is apparently common

in the Palestinian hill country.

And these seeds,

they were able to start growing,

start germinating,

but there wasn't enough soil to hold water

for the seeds to grow.

So they sprouted up quickly,

but then they withered away.

Then there's the soil with the thorns.

There's nothing wrong with the soil itself.

It's not hard-packed like the path

or thin like on the rock.

Instead, its growing potential

is being used up by other plants,

by thorns.

Then there's only one type of productive ground.

It's good soil,

and it produces a huge yield,

a hundredfold.

Again, the illustration is pretty easy to understand

what's happening on the surface.

And then after the parable in verse 8,

Jesus tells the crowd,

he who has ears to hear,

let him hear.

It's an easy command for the crowds to overlook.

It's a pretty short and simple phrase

that Jesus says here,

but everything in this chapter,

in this passage,

hinges on this one point

because they need to take care

how they listen to what Jesus is saying.

Will they think about what he said,

and will they consider its meaning

and act upon it?

Or will they ignore it,

forget it,

or will they give up

in the middle of trying to apply it?

And so the same is true of us

regarding God's word.

What good does it do to us

if we hear the best preaching

and the best teaching,

but we don't think about it,

we don't ponder its practical applications,

we don't try to follow it in our lives,

right?

In verse nine,

we see that there's a change in audience.

They go from a huge crowd

to speaking,

Jesus speaking to just his disciples.

His disciples come up to him.

They know that Jesus isn't,

he's obviously not giving a farming lesson,

so they say,

what does this parable mean?

And before explaining the parables' meaning,

Jesus briefly speaks

to the purpose of parables.

Maybe this is a question

that's come across your mind.

Why does Jesus speak in parables?

They're hard to understand.

If he's come to proclaim good news

and free the captives,

why does he speak in illustrations

that aren't obvious,

that some people won't understand, right?

In verse 10,

Jesus tells his disciples

that parables serve a dual purpose.

They reveal the secrets of God's kingdom

to Jesus' disciples,

and they also hide the meaning to others

so that these people,

they see,

but they don't see.

They hear,

but they don't understand.

So,

if you guys remember,

as I mentioned,

Jesus is attracting big crowds,

but in these crowds

are people who have already heard

Jesus' teaching,

and they've rejected it,

right?

Although they've seen Jesus' heal sicknesses,

raise a man from the dead even,

they're still unreceptive to him

and his teaching.

So in this context,

parables are given.

Parables are a form of judgment.

Those who are genuinely following Jesus

and try to understand,

to them are given the secrets of God's kingdom.

But to those who have already received teaching

but rejected it,

to them further understanding is withheld.

So it's like parables are,

like they're a one-way mirror, right?

From one side,

if you try to look through,

it's just a mirror,

but on the other side,

you get to look through

and see what's on the other side.

And this mirror is on a swivel, right?

And what determines how the mirror is turned

is the choice of a person's heart.

Do you want to understand,

and do you want to receive Jesus or not?

Now, to be clear,

it's not as if God is cheering for people

to reject Jesus,

and that's far from it.

God wants everyone to be saved.

So we read in 1 Timothy 2,

God our Savior desires all people to be saved

and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And in Ezekiel 33,

we read,

So God loves us.

He wants what is good for us,

and he's cheering for us to live and not die.

And God is just.

He's the one who judges us

according to what is right and good.

And maybe the idea of God

using parables as judgment

makes you squirm in your seat a little bit.

I know it makes me a little uncomfortable.

But at a deeper level,

I also know that

I want God to be just.

I need him to be just.

A God who sees wrong and evil

yet is unwilling or unable

to do anything about it,

that's no God at all.

We need God to see the injustices

of this world and to judge.

We need God to see

the mosque shooting in New Zealand this week

and to hold people accountable for that.

Right?

So what does this all mean for us?

Well, we need to take care how we listen.

How are you coming to God's word this morning?

What is your attitude?

Is your heart soft and receptive to God's word?

Do you seek to understand and obey it?

Then be joyful

because God is revealing

the secrets of his kingdom to you.

Right?

Keep seeking understanding.

Keep asking questions.

Be diligent in applying what you've learned.

Or do you reject what God says?

It holds no weight with you.

You're your own boss,

your own God.

Only you gets the final say in your life.

Then don't expect any more fodder

for your rejection

and your contempt

and your indifference.

But I do hope for better things

for us here today.

In verse 11,

Jesus explains this parable

to his disciples.

So let's listen carefully

to its meaning.

The seed is the word of God

and the soil,

the first soil,

the soil on the path

represents those who hear the word,

but the devil comes

and takes it from their hearts

so they can't believe

and be saved.

The second soil on the rock

represents those

who do receive God's word

and initially receive it with joy,

but in times of testing,

they fall away.

The third soil with the thorns

represents those

who hear God's word,

but God's word can't produce

mature fruit in their lives

because they're choked

by the cares and riches

and pleasures of life.

And the fourth soil,

the good soil,

represents those

who hear the word

and they hold it fast

in an honest and good heart

and bear fruit with patience.

I'm pointing out

a few additional things

from this parable.

First, there's nothing different

with what the soils receive,

right?

They all get the same seed.

It's not like the first soil

gets like old

and rotten fruit or seeds

and the fourth gets fresh

and strong young seeds,

right?

They're all the same.

Deficiency is not in God's word,

but with the response

of the hearer.

Second, the good soil

is commended for bearing fruit.

What is fruit?

Fruit is a person's response

to God's word

that is consistent

with God's word, right?

Responding consistently

with God's word.

So for example,

when God says

in Philippians chapter 4,

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

do not be anxious

about anything,

but in everything

by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving,

let your requests

be made known to God.

Then when we feel anxious,

we pray to God

about that anxiety,

about the source

of that anxiety.

We take it to him.

When God says

in Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

and we know

that for those

who love God,

all things work together

for good.

For those who are called

according to his purpose,

when a person faces trials

and difficulties in life,

we go to God

and trust

that he's using

those circumstances

for our good, right?

And when God says

in Matthew chapter 28,

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

go therefore

and make disciples

of all nations,

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

The hearer prioritizes

helping others

follow Jesus, right?

So fruit is a positive

response to God's word

in the form of trust

in God

and obedience

to his word.

Third thing about,

an additional thing

about these parables

or this parable,

the soils in this parable

represent different kinds

of individuals

and their overall response

to God's word.

It's not meant

to represent

a person's progression

in the Christian life.

It's not like you go

from soil one

to two to three to four,

right?

And it doesn't represent

specific moments

in our lives

where sometimes

we're hard-hearted,

sometimes we're receptive,

sometimes we give

into temptation.

Now, of course,

that's true.

Sometimes we do have

different responses

to God's word

in our life,

but that's not

what this passage

is about,

and so we shouldn't

try to make it

say something

that it's not

trying to say.

So instead,

when looking at

the totality

of a person's life,

that individual,

how do they respond

to God's word?

Are they fruitful

or unfruitful?

And that's the question

to ask ourselves.

Which kind of soil

am I?

When I look at my

life picture overall,

what response

have I given

to God's word?

Maybe this is a hard

question for you

to answer

because honestly,

you've never really

heard God's word

communicated to you

or clearly in a way

that demands a response

because maybe you've

heard of God's word

as some nebulous thing,

right?

Like the Bible

is God's word.

That's true,

right?

But there is a

central message

in God's word

that he communicates

to us

and that demands

a response from us.

In the words of Jesus

in Mark chapter 1,

Mark 1 · chapter mention

the time has come.

The kingdom of God

has come near.

Repent and believe

the good news.

So Jesus tells us

the good news

of how we can be saved

from God's judgment

and enter into his rule

and reign,

which is known

as his kingdom,

right?

That's his rule

and his reign.

The way things are

right now

aren't the way

that things were

meant to be.

We were originally

intended to be

under God's rule.

God in his power

and beauty,

he made the universe

that we live in.

God in his love

and joy made us

to know him

in relationship

for us to belong

to him as his people.

And as the one

who created us,

he rightfully has

authority over our lives.

In our lives,

we were to acknowledge

and honor him.

We were to delight

and be satisfied in him.

We were to obey him,

thank him,

praise him,

but none of us

experience this

in our lives

as we ought to.

None of us know God

like this.

We all fall short

of who God made us

to be.

We read in Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

for although they knew

God,

they did not honor him

as God

or give thanks to him,

but they became futile

in their thinking

and their foolish hearts

were darkened.

Claiming to be wise,

they became fools

and exchanged the glory

of the immortal God

for images resembling

mortal man

and birds

and animals

and creeping things.

And that's us,

that's speaking of us.

Instead of acknowledging

God as God,

we reject him

and we ignore him.

Instead of honoring him,

we doubt that he's good

and he loves us.

Instead of being satisfied

in him as the one

who provides for us,

we choose to rely

on ourselves

or on money

or anything else really.

And so we fail

to meet God's standards

for us

and this is what

the Bible calls sin.

In our sin,

God judges us

because, again,

God is just

as part of his character.

Romans tells us,

for the wages of sin

is death.

And then Isaiah 59 says,

but our iniquities

have made a separation

between you

and your God

and your sins

have hidden his face

from you

so that he does not hear.

Also in Romans,

he will render

to each one

according to his works.

For those who are self-seeking

and do not obey the truth

but obey unrighteousness,

there will be wrath

and fury.

And as a description

in Romans,

Mark,

sorry,

in Mark 9,

hell is described

as where their worm

does not die

and the fire

is not quenched.

I think sometimes

we tend to think

of our sins

as not that bad,

not that serious.

It's kind of like

a parking ticket.

Like, yes,

I technically

did something wrong

and I have to pay for it

but it's not that big

of a deal, right?

Overall,

I'm a good person

and there aren't

serious consequences

to this

but sin

is far more serious

and far deeper

and far more hateful

than I often think of it.

Sin is saying to God,

God, no,

I reject

your authority over me

and I declare

my independence

from you.

It's saying to God,

you're not good enough,

you don't love me enough

and you don't really

care for me

so I need to

care and provide

for myself.

You're not really

wise enough

to know what's best for me

so I need to figure

things out for myself.

You're not really

strong enough

to get things done

for me

so I need to

rely on myself

and sin is saying

no to God

and turning to

other things

to fill God's place

in our lives.

It's like if my

one-year-old daughter,

Caladriel,

were to come up to me

and Carol and say,

you know,

you're not doing a good job,

you're not doing good enough,

like,

I'm good, right?

I'm on my own.

Even though, like,

we love her, right?

That's absurd.

We're trying our best for her

and if God

is who he says he is,

if he's good

and loving,

he's compassionate

and powerful,

if he's holy

and the one

who created everything

and rightfully owns everything,

then we see how hateful

and wrong it is

to reject him.

So far,

this is not good news,

like Jesus said,

right?

This is pretty bad news.

We're all sinners

and under the just wrath

and condemnation of God,

we deserve punishment.

But the good news

is that God's solution

for our sin

is the sacrificial death

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ,

the Son,

like we've been singing about

this morning.

In Isaiah chapter 53,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

it says,

Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows,

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God,

and afflicted.

He was pierced

for our transgressions,

he was crushed

for our iniquities.

Upon him

was the chastisement

that brought us peace

and with his wounds

we are healed.

All we like sheep

have gone astray,

we have turned everyone

to his own way

and the Lord

has laid on him

the iniquity

of us all.

So,

God's got a problem

on his hands.

He's just

so he needs to punish us

but he also loves us

and wants to save us

from that punishment.

So what does he do?

How can he spare us

from the punishment

but still be just?

And his solution

is he sends Jesus

to be born as a man

to live a perfect life

and therefore he saves us

from the punishment

that we deserve.

Instead of being regarded

as perfect and good

like Jesus deserves,

he's regarded as a sinner,

as being a liar,

a drunk,

a murderer,

a thief,

being a proud man

and a selfish man,

all the ways

that we've fallen short

of God's standards for us.

And 2 Corinthians 5 says,

for our sake

he made him to be sin

who knew no sin

so that in him

we might become

the righteousness of God.

Jesus is our substitute.

He switches places

with us

and we don't deserve it.

This is God's grace,

his undeserved goodness.

And his salvation

from sin is complete.

He doesn't just forgive us

but he promises us

power to overcome

that sin

and he ultimately

gives us freedom

from the presence

of sin itself.

So God forgives us

our uncontrolled anger

but he doesn't leave us

just to be angry

all the time, right?

He enables us to grow

in self-control,

patience,

in love,

in gentleness.

And then when we die

we move on from this life

and he gives us eternal life,

a life free from that sin

so we don't,

we can overcome

that battle

that we're facing every day.

And so God has accomplished

all of this for us

but we must respond.

It's like medicine, right?

It can be the best medicine

in the world

and cure your illness

but if you don't take it

you can't experience

its benefits.

And so we can either

accept and receive

what he's done for us

or we can reject it.

To accept God's message

we must turn away from sin

and turn in trust

toward Jesus.

It's personally saying

something like

yes Lord Jesus

I will trust you

and only you.

I am a sinner

and I need you to save me.

I'm reaching out

to grab onto your hand.

Save me

or I die.

Right?

And for those of you

who have heard

this good news before

who have received Jesus

into your life

let me encourage you

to keep doing that.

To continue receiving Jesus

because the way

the way in

to the Christian life

is also the way forward

in the Christian life.

We continue every day

to repent of sins

and to turn to Jesus

in faith.

And as we do

we resemble Jesus

more and more

and we bear fruit

in our lives.

So this is the gospel.

This is the good news

of salvation

and all of God's word

centers around Jesus

and what he's done for us.

So the question is

what will you do with it?

How will you respond?

What kind of soil

are you?

Take care how

you hear God's word.

Are you the first soil?

Maybe you think

this message

isn't for you.

You turn it down

and ignore it

maybe politely.

It seems irrelevant

and impractical.

There are more important

things in life.

You need to work.

You need to find

someone to marry.

You need to live life

to the fullest

and reach your full potential.

But what could be

more relevant

and practical

than securing

your present

and future well-being?

And what's the point

of working at things

like marriage

and work

and everything else

apart from God

who gives us

meaning for these things

and makes it possible

to do these things

well?

Maybe you have

doubts and concerns.

Maybe this sounds

somewhat compelling

but you're not sure.

You're not sure

if this message

is actually true

and credible.

And that's okay.

It might not seem

that all of this

fits into a unified

and cohesive whole

but if that's you

don't stay there.

Take the next step.

Ask those questions.

Don't rest

until you're satisfied

with the answers.

If you'd like to talk

with someone

please talk to me

or Matt or Sean

and we'd love

to talk with you

and question with you

and wrestle with you.

Jesus says

in Matthew chapter 7

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

ask and it will be

given to you.

Seek and you will find.

Knock and it will be

open to you.

And Jesus

he's true to his word.

He's trustworthy.

We can trust him.

Be warned that this is

neither a light affair

nor a neutral one.

What is at stake

is your eternal well-being.

And you have an enemy

who wants to steal

this message

and harm you.

The spiritual realm

is unseen

but it's not

non-existent

nor inactive.

The devil's schemes

can be subtle

but they're devastating.

C.S. Lewis

the author

of the Chronicles of Narnia

wrote many other works

and one of them

is the Screwtape Letters.

It's a fictional set

of letters

from a senior demon

named Screwtape

to his nephew

called Wormwood

who's a junior tempter.

Right?

So he's mentoring

his nephew

and Wormwood

is responsible

for getting a man

known as the patient

to hell.

So in one episode

Screwtape writes

to Wormwood,

I once had a patient

a sound atheist

who used to read

in the British Museum.

One day as he sat reading

I saw a train of thought

in his mind

beginning to go

the wrong way.

The enemy,

God because they're demons,

right?

Of course was at his elbow

in a moment.

Before I knew where I was

I saw my 20 years' work

beginning to totter.

If I lost my mind,

lost my head

and begun to attempt

a defense by argument

I should have been undone.

But I was not such a fool.

I struck instantly

at the part of the man

which I had best

under my control

and suggested

that it was just about time

he had some lunch.

The enemy presumably

made the counter suggestion,

you know how

one can never quite overhear

what he says to them,

that this was more important

than lunch.

At least I think

that must have been his line

for when I said,

quite.

In fact,

much too important

to tackle it

at the end of a morning.

The patient brightened up

considerably

and by the time

I had added

much better comeback

after lunch

and go into it

with a fresh mind.

He was already

halfway to the door.

Once he was in the street,

the battle was won.

I showed him a newsboy

shouting the midday paper

and a number 73 bus

going past

and before he reached

the bottom of the steps

I had got into him

an unalterable conviction

that whatever odd ideas

might come into a man's head

when he was shut up alone

with his books,

a healthy dose of real life

by which he meant

the bus and the newsboy

was enough to show him

that all that sort of thing

just couldn't be true.

He knew he'd had

a narrow escape

and in later years

was fond of articulate,

of talking about

that inarticulate sense

for actuality

which is our ultimate

safeguard against

the aberrations

of mere logic.

He is now safe

in our Father's house.

So take the time

to seriously consider

God's word.

Is it reasonable?

Is it credible?

Does it resonate

with what you've experienced

in life?

And so ask those questions.

So that's the first soil.

Maybe you're one

of the other two

unproductive soils.

The second soil

on the rock

or the third soil

with the thorns.

So both of these soils

allow God's word

to germinate to a degree

but neither

lets it fully grow

and be fruitful.

Unlike the first

and fourth soils,

it's unclear

if these people

are saved, right?

But the point

of this parable

isn't about

where that line

is between faith

and unbelief.

The point is about

how we can best

live the Christian life.

So only the fourth soil

does that.

So it's unclear

in this passage.

The second soil

represents a shallow faith

that cannot survive

the pressures

of persecution.

God's free salvation

is an amazing gift

and totally worth it

but it does have

its costs.

It does have

its difficulties

and one of them

is persecution.

This makes sense

because as Jesus'

disciples,

we follow

in Jesus' steps

and he was persecuted

and he died.

He died on the cross.

In Cambridge Mass

in the United States

of America

in this day and age,

our persecution

will likely not

take the form

of physical abuse

and imprisonment

and death.

More likely,

it'll involve

social rejection

and contempt,

being thought of

as intolerant

or small-minded

or dumb

or being too

morally uptight.

You might be

the only one

of your colleagues

at your firm

who doesn't enjoy

getting hammered

regularly

or who isn't

living and sleeping

with your girlfriend

or boyfriend

and when the pressure's on,

how do you respond?

Don't give in

to the pressure

but cling to God's word.

Follow in the footsteps

of the Lord Jesus.

Hebrews chapter 12 says,

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Therefore,

since we are surrounded

by so great

a cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside

every weight

and sin which clings

so closely

and let us run

with endurance

the race that is set

before us.

Looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfecter

of our faith,

who for the joy

that was set before him

endured the cross,

despising the shame

and is seated

at the right hand

of the throne of God.

Consider him

who endured from sinners

such hostility

against himself

so that you may not

grow weary

or faint-hearted.

So Jesus went

through the same thing

and what he did

was he set his eyes,

set his focus

on the joy

before him

and not on the difficulties.

So forget

about that persecution.

It's only for a moment,

even if it's for

your whole lifetime.

Look to the Lord

and consider the joy

set before you,

the joy of being with Christ,

of loving him

in return

and response

with your life.

Look to other Christians

around for love

and support as well.

Don't go it alone.

The third soil

also fails

to produce mature fruit

and maybe

this represents

your life.

It represents

those who

are choked out

by an excessive

concern

for earthly affairs,

for earthly pleasures,

for one's welfare

and possessions

and comfort.

I say excessive

because

these things

aren't insignificant

or unimportant.

The issue

is one

of misplaced priorities.

There's

too much concern,

too much energy,

too much time

and space

in hearts and minds

given to these things.

So what does this look like?

You might worry too much

about how to take care

of yourself financially,

your income,

retirement funds,

your home,

so you overwork

to get more stuff,

to get more money,

to get that house,

to get those clothes.

Maybe our top priority

is finding a spouse.

So even though

you're at a great church

that helps you grow

in love and faith,

you hop from church

to church

looking for

the best looking group

of singles

and you don't

put down roots.

Or maybe you're

all about

maxing out

life's pleasures.

You want to step foot

in every continent

in your life,

go to 100 countries,

add to your list

of restaurants

you've eaten.

And again,

it's not that these things

are bad in themselves,

it's that

if they take

too much energy

and too much time,

if these pursuits

take up

too much

of the space

of your life,

then not enough

is given

to God's word

so that it can

manifest results

in your life.

There's not enough

time to read

God's word,

to meditate on it,

to spend meaningful

time in conversation

with God

in prayer,

building relationships

with other Christians

to encourage them,

developing relationships

with non-Christians

to share Christ's love

with them.

And you might know

and agree that

these things are good,

you're just too busy,

you're too tired

for anything else.

God might be

on your priority list

just at number 10

or number 2

but not number 1.

Or are you

the four soil?

Of these four soils,

this is the only one

that is commended

and that we should

strive to be like.

We are to respond

with an honest

and good heart

which means a heart

that is humble,

sincere,

that seeks to do

what is right

and people with

honest and good hearts

are receptive

to God's word.

We are to hold fast

to the word

which is a description

of faith.

When persecution

and trials

come in life,

instead of focusing

on the difficulties

or the stress

or contempt of others,

we choose to cling

to God's word

and persevere.

When we're ridiculed

for not drinking

excessively

or we're belittled

for choosing

to honor God

with sex,

we might think

of Matthew 5,

Matthew 5:8

verse 8.

Blessed are the pure

in heart

for they shall see God.

We consider it better

to see God

and have God

than to have

the fleeting pleasures

of life

or the good opinion

of others.

This soil also bears

fruit with patience.

Patience is necessary

because bearing fruit

takes time, right?

It can seem slow going

or unsuccessful.

But when things

don't go our way,

when we don't see

results fast enough,

or you seem to be

dealing with the same

sins over and over again

and you're not

making progress,

you don't give up,

but you persevere.

You're patient.

You keep going.

And I pray that we

would all be

this fourth soil,

that we would be

humble,

that we would be

sincere to receive

God's word,

and we would hold

onto it with

perseverance and

patience so that

God's word can do

its work in our

heart and in our

lives.

So that's the

parable of the

sower and of the

soils.

There are two more

sections in this

passage that I will

spend less time on.

Verse 16 refers to

a lamp being put on

a stand so that it

can be used

effectively rather than

hidden under a jar

or bed.

This light refers to

Jesus and his

teaching.

He was not given

to be hidden,

but Jesus shines to

his hearers in this

world and Jesus

demands a response.

And we can reflect

that as well as we

obey him and as we

reflect his teaching

to others.

Light has a revealing

and exposing quality

as well.

And so just like

sunlight will hit

things in our world

and it shows its

colors, by our

response when God's

word comes to us,

we reveal our hearts

and our thoughts

regarding God,

whether we receive

him or not.

In verse 18, we are

commanded to take

care how we hear.

Those who hear in

faith, trusting and

obeying what they've

heard and understood

so far, they will

receive more spiritual

blessing to understand,

to trust, to obey

more.

But those who don't

receive what they've

already been given

will lose even what

little they have.

There's no neutral

ground.

And I think this

makes sense in a

practical way too.

I mean, I heard

Carolyn, I think,

this week talk about

in the workplace how

if you have something

important to do, you

give it to the

busiest person in the

office.

Why do you do that?

They're busy because

they're responsible and

they get things done,

right?

So that's similar here.

Do you find that

you've had a soft and

receptive heart earlier,

but now your heart is

somewhat dull,

hardened, confused in

understanding?

It's worth some

self-reflection to see

if there's any area of

disobedience in your

lives.

Maybe God spoke to

you about some area,

but you fail to listen

and obey.

So be sure to obey God

in that area before

expecting more.

Finally, in verses 19

through 21, we see an

encounter between Jesus

and his mother and his

brothers.

They come to see him,

but they can't reach him.

And Jesus is told this.

The crowd might have

expected Jesus after

hearing this to say,

my family is here,

everyone make way,

clear a path, right?

They're important to me.

But instead of doing that,

he takes the opportunity

to give a lesson.

Who is Jesus' family?

Who is special to him?

Not his family by blood,

but those who hear and do

God's word.

Now to be clear,

this isn't to devalue

human relationships.

God places a high value

on our family relationships.

For example,

in 1 Timothy 5,

we read,

but if anyone does not

provide for his relatives

and especially for members

of his household,

he has denied the faith

and is worse than an

unbeliever.

And in John 19,

while Jesus was hanging

on the cross in the middle

of being crucified,

he's mindful to take care

of his mother.

It says,

when Jesus saw his mother

and the disciple whom

he loved standing nearby,

he said to his mother,

woman,

behold your son.

Then he said to the disciple,

behold your mother.

And from that hour,

the disciple took her

to his own home.

So he was a good,

good eldest son,

right,

to make sure that his mother

was taken care of

after he died.

And so this isn't

so much lowering a family,

but it's an elevation

of the family of God,

right?

Those who hear the gospel

and trust Jesus

enter into God's family,

a family centered around God

that will last

into eternity.

So my friends,

brothers and sisters,

it's my desire

that we would all

be family members

in the family of God.

Don't you want to be

a child of the God

of the universe

who made you

and loves you?

But that choice

is up to each of us.

Will you choose

to be in Jesus' family?

Will you choose

to listen

to God's word carefully?

Will you hold on

and persevere

and be patient

and bear fruit

and therefore show evidence

that you belong to God?

I pray that it would be so

with each of us.

Please take a moment

to reflect on today's message

as we move into

our time of prayer.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.