Luke 8:4-15
This week we are going to look at the fourth parable in Luke's Gospel as we continue journeying through The Secrets of the Kingdom together. It is in this scripture that Jesus gives us the title for our series. He has just shared a parable and his disciples approach him trying to understand what it means. He says, "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.'" Not only does he identify his parables as containing secrets pertaining to the kingdom…but he points out that everyone will not hear the real message. Everyone will not see the real message. Some will see, but not see. Others will hear, but not understand.
This dullness of hearing and dimness of sight and hardness of heart has always been a problem. Isaiah is quoted in Acts 28:25-27 as prophesying "'Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' Three times in Hebrews the verse is quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" Seven time in the first 3 chapters of Revelation we are told, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." And that is exactly what this parable is about. Hearing!
In this parable, we see a sower. Luke 8:5 tells us that "A sower went out to sow his seed." Little attention is given to the sower. He has only one task in the grander scheme of things…to sow the seed. The sower's role is not to draw a crowd. It is not to please a crowd. It is not to harvest a crop or even to produce a crop. The sower's role is to sow seed. While little attention is given to him, his role is important. In John 4:37-38 Jesus said, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." In First Corinthians 3:6-9 Paul pointed out, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers."
The sower simply sows the seed and that is where his responsibility ends. Luke 8:5 tells us that the sower went out to sow his seed. This leads us to ask the question, "What is the Seed?" Jesus answers in verse 11, "The seed is the word of God." The seed is the Word of God and it is the same regardless of where it is sown. On the path…it is still seed. On the rock…it is still seed. Among the thorns…it is still the seed. On the fertile soil…it is still the seed. The seed was good seed, bursting with life awaiting germination. Jesus said that the seed is "the Word of God."
Do we even know what the seed is? There are so many self helps messages in the Name of Jesus. There are so many positive thinking messages in the Name of Jesus. I hear more and more about "life principles" whatever that means. So many programs, so many clever plans, so many gimmicks and so little seed! This is not what the apostles were sowing. They were sowing the seed: the seed of the Gospel! Not self helps and positive thinking….but the Gospel! Not plans, programs, and the next gimmick but the Gospel! I cannot tell you when was the last time I heard the Gospel on TV, radio, or even in church, yet that is what the apostles focused on: the Gospel!
1 Thess 2:1-9
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
They had a lot invested in the Gospel. Do we even know the Gospel today? Has it become so familiar to us that we know longer recognize its power? Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation! Here is the Gospel…
1 Cor 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
The Gospel is about a thrice holy God and a totally depraved humanity, which results in you and I being enemies of God. The Gospel is about God entering humanity as Christ to live the life that we could never live and to take the wrath of God on our behalf so that we could be reconciled to God through His blood. The Gospel is about man repenting and trusting in the atoning work of Christ. The Gospel is about the glory of God. If you want to truly understand the Gospel, a good book is called "Know and Tell the Gospel" by John Chapman which can be ordered from Matthias Media online (this is not necessarily an endorsement of everything in the book). You can go to https://store.matthiasmedia.com/order/orders.asp and click on Growth under browse products. Then click on "Other Christian Living Books" and it should be down there somewhere.
The sower is clear and the seed is clearer, but the heart of the parable is what comes next: the soils…we'll save that until next time.
This week we are going to look at the fourth parable in Luke's Gospel as we continue journeying through The Secrets of the Kingdom together. It is in this scripture that Jesus gives us the title for our series. He has just shared a parable and his disciples approach him trying to understand what it means. He says, "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.'" Not only does he identify his parables as containing secrets pertaining to the kingdom…but he points out that everyone will not hear the real message. Everyone will not see the real message. Some will see, but not see. Others will hear, but not understand.
This dullness of hearing and dimness of sight and hardness of heart has always been a problem. Isaiah is quoted in Acts 28:25-27 as prophesying "'Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' Three times in Hebrews the verse is quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" Seven time in the first 3 chapters of Revelation we are told, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." And that is exactly what this parable is about. Hearing!
In this parable, we see a sower. Luke 8:5 tells us that "A sower went out to sow his seed." Little attention is given to the sower. He has only one task in the grander scheme of things…to sow the seed. The sower's role is not to draw a crowd. It is not to please a crowd. It is not to harvest a crop or even to produce a crop. The sower's role is to sow seed. While little attention is given to him, his role is important. In John 4:37-38 Jesus said, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." In First Corinthians 3:6-9 Paul pointed out, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers."
The sower simply sows the seed and that is where his responsibility ends. Luke 8:5 tells us that the sower went out to sow his seed. This leads us to ask the question, "What is the Seed?" Jesus answers in verse 11, "The seed is the word of God." The seed is the Word of God and it is the same regardless of where it is sown. On the path…it is still seed. On the rock…it is still seed. Among the thorns…it is still the seed. On the fertile soil…it is still the seed. The seed was good seed, bursting with life awaiting germination. Jesus said that the seed is "the Word of God."
Do we even know what the seed is? There are so many self helps messages in the Name of Jesus. There are so many positive thinking messages in the Name of Jesus. I hear more and more about "life principles" whatever that means. So many programs, so many clever plans, so many gimmicks and so little seed! This is not what the apostles were sowing. They were sowing the seed: the seed of the Gospel! Not self helps and positive thinking….but the Gospel! Not plans, programs, and the next gimmick but the Gospel! I cannot tell you when was the last time I heard the Gospel on TV, radio, or even in church, yet that is what the apostles focused on: the Gospel!
1 Thess 2:1-9
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
They had a lot invested in the Gospel. Do we even know the Gospel today? Has it become so familiar to us that we know longer recognize its power? Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation! Here is the Gospel…
1 Cor 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
The Gospel is about a thrice holy God and a totally depraved humanity, which results in you and I being enemies of God. The Gospel is about God entering humanity as Christ to live the life that we could never live and to take the wrath of God on our behalf so that we could be reconciled to God through His blood. The Gospel is about man repenting and trusting in the atoning work of Christ. The Gospel is about the glory of God. If you want to truly understand the Gospel, a good book is called "Know and Tell the Gospel" by John Chapman which can be ordered from Matthias Media online (this is not necessarily an endorsement of everything in the book). You can go to https://store.matthiasmedia.com/order/orders.asp and click on Growth under browse products. Then click on "Other Christian Living Books" and it should be down there somewhere.
The sower is clear and the seed is clearer, but the heart of the parable is what comes next: the soils…we'll save that until next time.
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