The Sower [The Four
Soils]
“And in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this
people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and
hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them.”
INTRODUCTION
1. As Jesus went about
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven
He did not always find a
receptive audience...
a. Even where He did mighty works, some did not repent
“Then began he to
upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not: woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the
mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it
shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for
you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down
to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done
in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, that it
shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of Judgment, than for
thee.”
2. The problem Jesus
faced was that many people, though they had ears
to hear, their ears had
become "hard of hearing"
“And in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this
people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and
hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them.”
3. To illustrate this
problem, Jesus told a parable that has come to be
known as "The
Parable Of The Sower"
-- It was told by Jesus
to illustrate different reactions to the
gospel message
[The value of this parable becomes clearer in
the light of Jesus'
explanation, for by it
we can see ourselves as we really are in regards
to how we have received
the Word into our lives...]
I. EXPLANATION OF THE
PARABLE
"THE WAYSIDE" (The First Soil)...
1. This soil represents
one who "hears...and does not understand"
“When any one heareth
the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one,
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.”
2. Most likely, these
are those who have hardened their hearts
prior to hearing the Word
“for this people’s heart
is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their
ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should
heal them.”
3. The "birds"
represent "the wicked one" (called "the devil" in
“Those by the wayside are
they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
a. Who snatches away the
Word from those whose hearts are
hardened
b. Their condition
therefore is one of being "blinded" by
Satan to the gospel
“But if the gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
4. While Satan
contributes to their blindness, it is precipitated
by their own hardness of
heart!
D. "THE STONY
PLACES" (The Second Soil)...
1. This soil represents
the one who...
a. "hears the word
and immediately receives it with joy"
b. "yet he has no root in himself, but
endures only for a
while"
c. "when
tribulation or persecution arises because of the
word, immediately he
stumbles"
“But he that received
the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with
joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for
when tribulation, persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is
offended.”
2. Some hear the Word
and receive it with great joy...
a. But with no root,
they are not grounded in the Word
b. So that when troubles
arise, there is no endurance and
stumbling occurs
3. Here we learn that an
emotional reception without a strong
foundation based upon
the Word will not enable one to stand
against tribulation and
persecution
E. "AMONG THE
THORNS" (The Third Soil)...
1. This soil represents
the one who...
But whose ability to bear fruit is choked by:
1) "the cares of
this world"
2) "the
deceitfulness of riches"
a. "hears the
word"
Matthew 13:22
“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth
the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke
the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
3) "pleasures of
life"
“And that which fell
among the thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are
choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection.”
2. How these three
"thorns" can cause us to be unfruitful is
explained in other
portions of God's Word...
a. The cares of this
world
1) Can cause us to be
unprepared
2) The evil in cares and
anxieties is that they can detract
our minds from what is
truly important
b. The deceitfulness of
riches
1) The evil in riches
lay in diverting our attention
away from God, and
feeling self-sufficient
“Charge them that are
rich int his world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches,
but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”
c. Pleasures of life
1) Those involving the
flesh in particular divert our minds
from the things of the
Spirit
“For the flesh lusteth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary
the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
2) Sowing to the flesh
make it impossible to reap of the
Spirit!
“Be not deceived; God is
not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to
the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary
in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
F. "THE GOOD GROUND"
(The Fourth Soil)...
1. This soil represents
the one who...
a. "hears the word
and understands it"
b. "indeed bears
fruit and produces"
Matthew 13:23
“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth
the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
b. Luke adds that he
hears "the word with a noble and good
heart", and then
"keeps it and bears fruit with patience"
“But that on the good
ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep
it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
2. Those with "a
noble and good heart", then, are the ones...
a. Who will understand
the Word
b. Who will keep it, and
with patience produce fruit in their
lives!
4. Note the importance
of "understanding" in relation to "bearing
fruit"...
5. And what kind of
"fruit" will one bear? There
are different
kinds...
The fruit of practical
holiness
“But now being made free
from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the
end everlasting life.”
The fruit of the Spirit (i.e., a Christ-like
character)
“But the fruit of the
spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
The fruit of good works
“That ye might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God;”
The fruit of praise
& thanksgiving
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
his name.”
"What kind of soil
are you?"]
II. APPLICATION OF
THE PARABLE
A. ARE YOU LIKE
"THE WAYSIDE"?
1. If you have heard the
gospel of Christ and His kingdom, but
are not yet a
Christian...
2. You may be in the
process of hardening your heart the longer
you wait!
3. You are susceptible
to Satan's deception in some form, to
blind you and not allow
the Word of God to have its intended
effect!
B. ARE YOU LIKE
"THE STONY PLACES"?
1. If you responded to
the gospel at one time, but are not being
grounded in the faith...
2. You will likely fall
away when persecution or temptation comes
your way!
C. ARE YOU LIKE THE SOIL
"AMONG THE THORNS"?
1. If you responded to
the gospel at one time, but are becoming
too preoccupied with the
cares, riches, and pleasures of this
world...
2. You will not be able
to bear much fruit!
-- And remember what
Jesus said about branches that don't bear
fruit!
“I am the true vine, and
my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh
away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto
you. Abide in me, and I in you. AS the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not
in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them in the fire, and they are burned.”
D. ARE YOU LIKE
"THE GOOD SOIL"?
1. If you have responded
to the gospel, and are bearing fruit...
2. Then you have
demonstrated several important things:
a. You have a good and
noble heart!
b. You have come to
understand the Word!
c. You have been keeping
it with patience!
3. And so the Word of
God has been able to produce its intended
effect in you!
