The Sower
Notes
Transcript
v.1-3
This was on odd thing, outside Jewish customs, women accompanying men.
With the rise of feminist movements some people say that God doesn’t like women. Here we see women traveling along with the entourage of Jesus. Some of these women were the first to discover that Jesus is gone. These women were key to the ministry of Jesus.
v.4-8
Don’t get confused thinking that this was a farmer who didn’t care, who wasn’t paying attention to where he scattered seed.
The farmer would scatter seed before it was plowed, he didn’t know what laid under the surface. Then after scattering he would plow the seed into the ground to prevent birds from eating it.
Because of this the farmer didn’t know what laid under the surface, sometimes the ground would be rocky and he wouldn’t be able to plow the seed in. Sometime it would be packed from being walked on and he couldn’t plow because it was to hard. Sometimes thorns would grow next to the seeds and they would be choked out.
The farmer didn’t know what the ground was like until he plowed it, all he knew was he had to spread seed on all the ground and God would cause the seed that fell on the good ground to grow.
This really ties into what God calls us to do, and how God is the one who prepares the soil.
16 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, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
The only way to bear fruit is to be good soil where you will grow strong enough to produce.
Jesus is speaking of those who he will have bear fruit.
Those who bear fruit, are those who are chosen. Apart from the grace we God we have no desire to come to Him.
We are like the man spreading seed, we don’t know who God is working on the soil of their lives. Our job is to spread the word of God.
He who has ears
He who has ears
This doesn’t mean to just hear an audible sound, the Greek word also means to obey.
Jesus is referencing the response that we will take after we understand what is being said.
Have you been given ears to understand, and if so are you obeying.
v.9-10
Hearing they may not understand
Hearing they may not understand
Jesus is not telling parables to be better understood, quite the opposite. He is telling parables so that they won’t understand.
9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 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.”
Isaiah is called to go and preach to a people who will not listen because God is not allowing them to see the truth that is right in front of them.
Jesus is explaining that there are different types of hearts, some who will understand and some who won’t.
Jesus now goes over how different people receive the kingdom.
The Hard Ground
The Hard Ground
v.11-12
Ground that has been walked over so much that the plow won’t even dig in, because of this the seeds aren’t buried and the birds come and eat them.
Those who are so blinded by the enemy that the word of God will be snatched away before the word takes effect in their lives.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
These are the people who’s lives the seed isn’t effecting
They are so hard they are blind to the truth.
What do we do?
Pray for them
Pray for them
Even the hardest of soil, with enough time and care can be slowly turned into good soil. If you desire to see people come to know Jesus, pray that God will open their eyes and make the hard pan soil that they are good for planting.
The Ones on the Rock
The Ones on the Rock
v.13
These people get ecstatic about Jesus, they go buy a bible, they buy lots of books about the bible, they tell others about Jesus but soon they fizzle out.
Sometimes a few months, sometimes a few years, but they fizzle out.
They had no dept, they had no roots.
There is this huge craze happening now about how God is love, it get’s people excited, a huge emotional ride and people desire to come to him. But if you don’t go deeper than God being love, if all you have is the emotions, soon you will feel a great lack in your life and you will move on.
Many of these “Christians” the bible speaks of never saved. But they didn’t know Jesus or really even love Him, they just loved the emotions and what they got from Jesus.
They didn’t love Jesus, they used Him.
48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Is your relationship deep.
Do you want to be a plant that withers?
Do you want to be a plant that withers?
If not, continually spend time with God, in prayer and in His word. Don’t try to take things out of context to apply it to your life, read the bible to understand the heart of God.
The old covenant is great to read and understand the heart of God.
The Thorns
The Thorns
v.14
These seeds don’t die, they aren’t choked to the point of death, they are chocked to where they don’t mature and are basically useless.
This is a big problem in America. We are so comfortable with our good jobs, nice houses, toys of every kind, and Jesus is thing we do on Sunday.
If you are to busy with work, activities, or just having fun to attend church, bible studies, or do daily devotions. You are being choked out by the thorns, and those things you spend time with are idols.
What is it that God has called you to do? How are you being effective in spreading the seed of the kingdom? If the answer is nothing you are being choked by the thorns.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
You are a part of the body of Christ, God doesn’t have parts in His body that do nothing, if you are doing nothing you are hindering the church from bringing glory to God the way that it should be.
You are also not going to be growing or maturing the way that you should.
Do you want to be choked?
Do you want to be choked?
Ask God to reveal those things in your life that are idols, the things keeping you from being mature…Then prune them out.
Many times we already know, we just need to grab our sheers.
Good Soil
Good Soil
These are the ones who hear the word and let it change them. Their desire is to grow into a Godly man or woman.
As we showed earlier, these are the one’s who God has given a new heart to.
Patience, they know that it will take time. A garden doesn’t grow in a day, it takes time. We don’t change quickly it takes time.
Be patient and allow the master gardener to work in your life.
Desire to spend time with God, desire to grow in Him.