The Parables of Jesus #01: an exposition of Matthew 13:1-23. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, March 1, 2015.
Intro:
Why are we here? What is the purpose of our gathering? Why is it we set aside this time for coming together? Is it merely to fulfill an obligation? Are we “paying our dues” or “doing time?” Why is it we gather as the church? If we were to take a poll this morning I’m sure we would come up with several answers. We might say that we are here to give glory and honor to God. Some might say we are here to receive God’s Word and to be encouraged – strengthened to face the week. Others might say we are here to declare the Gospel so that the lost might come to a saving knowledge of Christ. And to some degree all of these statements are true. I believe, Scripturally, we are here to bring glory and honor to God. We do that by singing praises, preaching the Gospel and praying. In the process the lost hear the Gospel, the saved are encouraged and we are strengthened to face the days to come. The fact is, what you “take away” from this service depends, in large part on what you “brought to it!” What is driving you? What is it you want? What are you seeking? There are some who think that you come to church for a shot of adrenalin. They come looking for excitement. Others come to experience something beyond the everyday. They are seeking some kind of encounter. Others are seeking understanding or stability. Regardless of what they are seeking most would agree they ought to leave church “feeling better” about things but that is not always the case.
I heard about a preacher who almost got his lights punched out by an irate husband. It was in a marriage counseling session. He confronted the wife about some issues and she began to cry. Her husband, a mountain of a man, stood up and said, “I thought the church was supposed to make people feel better!” Is that the role of the church? No, the church is called to declare the Word of God. That Word will comfort the afflicted and it will afflict the comfortable. It is a two-edged sword. I am often comforted by the truth of God’s Word but sometimes God’s Word makes me very uncomfortable. Our text this morning is one of those two-edged passages. It brings both comfort and discomfort.
Text: Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus is at a point in his ministry when he finds himself surrounded by controversy.
The religious establishment is growing increasingly hostile to him and his message.
The line has been drawn in the sand.
And the gap between the two is widening.
The message of Jesus is “at odds” with the message of Judaism at several points.
Jesus has said, “you are either with me or you are against me.”
It is one way or the other – there can be no neutrality.
It is against this backdrop that Jesus speaks to the crowd a number of parables.
Matthew 13 marks the beginning of Matthew’s third major teaching section.
I want us to focus this morning of the first of these parables.
What is a parable?
A parable is an extended metaphor.
It is the use of something common or ordinary to explain something not so common or ordinary.
As we consider our text we discover that:
Thesis: The parable of the soils demands that each individual who hears the Gospel carefully examination his or her heart.
Self-examination is thoroughly biblical. The apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians to “test yourselves to see if you are I the faith; examine yourselves.” This is a sobering passage that should cause each of us to stop and consider.
This text is about the Gospel in its affect on the hearts of men.
The focus is not on the Gospel or the method of sowing – the focus is on the soils and its affect on the power of the Gospel within the human heart.
There are four great truths I want to call to your attention from this text.
- Mere exposure to the truth of the Gospel is insufficient for salvation. (13:1-4; 19)
- Enthusiasm for the truth of the Gospel is no assurance of genuine life. (13:5-6; 20-21)
- Passing interest in the Gospel profits nothing. (13:7; 22)
- Only the heart that is genuinely receptive to the truth of the Gospel can know salvation. (13:8-9; 23)
Conclusion:
You do realize there is only one true Christian in this parable. The one who produced fruit. Is your heart genuinely open to the Gospel? Are you receptive to the truth of God? Do you allow it to settle down in your life is such a way that it turns you from sin? Does it work in you the fruit of the Spirit?
Perhaps you are worried that your’s is a hardened heart or a crowded heart? What can you do? You cannot change your heart any more that soil can change its nature but there is One who can. The Divine Gardner. He can break up hardened ground. He can uproot rocks and remove thorns. That is your hope – not you but the Gardner.
Listen to Ezekiel 36:25-27 – that is your hope.
Do you remember the Rich Young Ruler?
He went away sad because he had much wealth. His crowded heart refused the Gospel. Jesus said it was hard for the rich to enter the kingdom. The crowd said, “If the rich can’t who can?” Jesus said, “With man it is impossible but with God all things are possible!”