Sowing Seeds

Sowing Seeds

2005048

Topic # 1510 (evangelism)

Introduction:

A. If we think of faith as a large tree that grows into a person’s life over time, we can imagine everything we say about faith to an unbeliever as a seed.

1. Jesus rarely explained his entire message to someone at one time.

2. Understood that a person would be overwhelmed.

3. So he planted seeds – small pieces of his message – and gave them time to sprout.

B. One of the most important ways we can sow seeds of the gospel in a person’s life is to discuss common human experiences.

1. These subjects naturally lead to spiritual conversations.

2. These conversations may not contain the whole gospel at one time.

3. They are simply seeds, and it’s God’s job to make them grow. (1 Cor 3:6)

C. Jesus was a genius in discussing spiritual realities in familiar, nonreligious language.

1. His message, methods, and mindset are all examples of how to sow seeds.

2. One of Jesus’ best known parables is a kingdom parable called the parable of the sower.

I. Background information on the parable of the sower. (Mt. 13:3-9; Lk. 8:5-8)

A. Parable based on a real life occurrence that happened every year.

1. Jews did not have horses, mules, or tractors to cultivate the ground or to plant a crop.

2. They planted wheat/barley in what we would call primitive means today – they sowed it by hand.

3. Carried seed in a bag & broadcasted it across a wide are as they walked through the field.

B. When you sow seed, if you want a crop, 2 things are true:

1. You have to be very generous in scattering seed.

2. You have little control over where the seed lands.

C. Lk. 8:5a – sower went out to sow his seed.

1. 8:5b – some fell beside the road. Trampled on.

2. 8:6 – some fell in rocky soil. Died because of a lack of moisture.

3. 8:7 – some fell in thorny soil. Thorns choked the plants.

4. 8:8 – some feel in good soil. Came up & produced a harvest.

D. Lk. 8:11-15 – Jesus explained the parable.

II. This parable contains three extremely important lessons.

A. You and I have one of these hearts.

1. Every one of us has either a hard, rocky, thorny, or good heart.

2. The basic challenge of the parable is NOT for us to determine what kind of heart everyone else has.

3. In this parable, we are challenged to look at our own heart; make examination; and change where necessary.

a) How does your heart react to the word of God?

b) 1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

B. Seed was sown everywhere.

1. Lk. 8:11 – the seed is the word of God.

2. It is sown to hard, rocky, thorny, and good hearts.

a) How would you evaluate the sowers method of sowing?

b) Wasteful?

3. John 4:35. Who was Jesus watching when he said that?

a) Samaritans

b) Jews regarded Samaritans as outcasts, as non-people.

c) Jews would not have looked at any Samaritans as a harvest for God – Jesus did. They would have viewed any time there as a waste.

d) He saw their hearts – and their hearts were good soil.

e) Everyone is a prospect. Never know when seed may sprout.

4. Though seed scattered all over the field, the entire field did not contribute to the harvest.

a) Jesus scattered the seeds of His word to the entire crowd – knowing that much of the seed would not take root and grow.

b) Not everyone wants to receive & understand God’s word.

c) Not everyone wants to be a citizen of God’s kingdom.

5. Problem is not in the sower, not in the seed, the problem is in the fact that many people do not want God.

C. We learn that 3 out of 4 hearts produced no harvest for God’s word.

1. Hard hearts were never in the kingdom. Never received God’s word.

2. 2 of the hearts received the word, but did not accomplish God’s purpose.

a) The rocky heart felt real joy as it sprang to life. But seed came to life temporarily.

1) When living for God became difficult, they quit.

b) Thorny heart gave life to the seed.

1) But it could not compete with worry & materialism.

2) Not choked to death, but it was choked to the point that it produced no harvest.

3) Are you someone whose spiritual life is being choked out?

3. When thinking about how the majority of seeds sown will not come to harvest…

4. This gives us the answer as to why Jesus didn’t feel crushed when so many people rejected Him & His message.

III. It has always been this way.

A. Isa. 6:8-13. What was Isaiah’s assignment?

1. God gave him an assignment to proclaim truth to people God knew wouldn’t listen.

2. 6:9-10

3. These verses are repeated in Mt. 13:13-15. It was the same in Jesus’ time.

B. Ezek. 2:3-7. Was his assignment similar to Isaiah’s? How was it like Jesus’?

1. Some people will always choose spiritual blindness – and God let’s them have what they want.

2. But…while pursuing that path, they’re being warned of the consequences of sin & the need for God.

C. How was Isaiah’s, Ezekiel’s, and Jesus’ mission like ours? Our assignment is to teach & warn. That’s it!

D. For years, we’ve operated under the assumption that every person could be converted – if we just worked harder.

1. Not even Jesus could convert everyone in Israel – a nation that believed in the living God.

a) Multitudes wanted the benefit of Jesus’ power.

b) But few wanted the benefit of Jesus’ teachings.

c) In those days, there were hard hearts, rocky hearts, and thorny hearts. There were also good hearts.

2. Today, the same is true.

E. John 3:19-21

1. Always been, and will always be evil people who love darkness of evil & hate the light that Jesus brings.

2. People who practice evil hate Jesus’ light.

3. People who practice evil refuse the light, because their evil deeds will be exposed.

4. Only those who practice truth come close to the light.

a) They want to see & understand who they are and what they do.

IV. So what’s the point?

A. What can we learn from Jesus’ example?

B. We can scatter the seeds of spiritual truth broadly, without unrealistic expectations and without taking it personally if many don’t respond.

1. This is why so many of our “evangelism programs” fail.

2. We get discouraged by the lack of BIG results.

C. We plant seeds by learning to talk about spiritual truth in the common language of our culture, at a level appropriate to the person we’re talking to.

1. Talking about spiritual things in ordinary language is a skill you can learn & practice.

2. Tomorrow, your unchurched co-worker asks, “What did you do last night?” You could respond:

a) “Not much.”

b) I went to church…you should have been there…

c) Or…I spent some time with some wonderful people worshipping God. I wish you could have been there. It was great!

D. We can recognize that different people’s hearts are resistant in different ways, and we can turn to God to soften hard soil and remove the stones & thorns.

V. What is our primary challenge?

A. All we need to do is convince people that they need to be baptized.

1. What we need to do is convert people to Christ!

2. If we immerse hard hearted people who do not believe – nothing has been accomplished.

3. If we immerse a shallow hearted person who instead of believing, spiritually wilts and dies – that does not produce salvation.

4. If we immerse a person whose life is so crowded that they have no place for Jesus in their life – that does not produce salvation.

B. Our challenge is to encourage REAL faith, REAL trust in God’s work in Jesus’ death & resurrection.

1. Baptism for the remission of sin means nothing w/o REAL faith!

2. Faith in God can turn hard hearts into good hearts…

3. But the person must soften the heart…

4. This is seen in repentance. Do we stress repentance enough?

C. For decades, we’ve been focused on baptism w/little attention to encouraging faith.

1. Result: far too many people who have been immersed have little or no faith in Christ Jesus.

2. We made church membership more important than trusting God.

3. In the NT – people who trusted what God did in Jesus’ death & resurrection were baptized.

Conclusion:

A. Don’t entrust your salvation to the fact of baptism or church membership.

B. Everyday of your life, work on your heart.

C. Have the faith that lets God rule you. Let your baptism stand on that faith.

D. What kind of soil would Jesus call you?

E. Look at your heart. Do you need to respond today to the call of the Lord?

F. I N V I TA T I O N



Sowing Seeds 2005048 Topic # 1510 (evangelism) Introduction: A. If we think of faith as a large tree that grows into a person’s life over time, we can imagine everything we say about faith to an unbeliever as a seed. 1. Jesus rarely explained his entire message to someone at one time. 2. Understood that a person would be overwhelmed. 3. So he planted seeds – small pieces of his message – and gave them time to sprout. B. One of the most important ways we can sow seeds of the gospel in a person’s life is to discuss common human experiences. 1. These subjects naturally lead to spiritual conversations. 2. These conversations may not contain the whole gospel at one time. 3. They are simply seeds, and it’s God’s job to make them grow. (1 Cor 3:6) C. Jesus was a genius in discussing spiritual realities in familiar, nonreligious language. 1. His message, methods, and mindset are all examples of how to sow seeds. 2. One of Jesus’ best known parables is a kingdom parable called the parable of the sower. I. Background information on the parable of the sower. (Mt. 13:3-9; Lk. 8:5-8) A. Parable based on a real life occurrence that happened every year. 1. Jews did not have horses, mules, or tractors to cultivate the ground or to plant a crop. 2. They planted wheat/barley in what we would call primitive means today – they sowed it by hand. 3. Carried seed in a bag & broadcasted it across a wide are as they walked through the field. B. When you sow seed, if you want a crop, 2 things are true: 1. You have to be very generous in scattering seed. 2. You have little control over where the seed lands. C. Lk. 8:5a – sower went out to sow his seed. 1. 8:5b – some fell beside the road. Trampled on. 2. 8:6 – some fell in rocky soil. Died because of a lack of moisture. 3. 8:7 – some fell in thorny soil. Thorns choked the plants. 4. 8:8 – some feel in good soil. Came up & produced a harvest. D. Lk. 8:11-15 – Jesus explained the parable. II. This parable contains three extremely important lessons. A. You and I have one of these hearts. 1. Every one of us has either a hard, rocky, thorny, or good heart. 2. The basic challenge of the parable is NOT for us to determine what kind of heart everyone else has. 3. In this parable, we are challenged to look at our own heart; make examination; and change where necessary. a) How does your heart react to the word of God? b) 1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. B. Seed was sown everywhere. 1. Lk. 8:11 – the seed is the word of God. 2. It is sown to hard, rocky, thorny, and good hearts. a) How would you evaluate the sowers method of sowing? b) Wasteful? 3. John 4:35. Who was Jesus watching when he said that? a) Samaritans b) Jews regarded Samaritans as outcasts, as non-people. c) Jews would not have looked at any Samaritans as a harvest for God – Jesus did. They would have viewed any time there as a waste. d) He saw their hearts – and their hearts were good soil. e) Everyone is a prospect. Never know when seed may sprout. 4. Though seed scattered all over the field, the entire field did not contribute to the harvest. a) Jesus scattered the seeds of His word to the entire crowd – knowing that much of the seed would not take root and grow. b) Not everyone wants to receive & understand God’s word. c) Not everyone wants to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. 5. Problem is not in the sower, not in the seed, the problem is in the fact that many people do not want God. C. We learn that 3 out of 4 hearts produced no harvest for God’s word. 1. Hard hearts were never in the kingdom. Never received God’s word. 2. 2 of the hearts received the word, but did not accomplish God’s purpose. a) The rocky heart felt real joy as it sprang to life. But seed came to life temporarily. 1) When living for God became difficult, they quit. b) Thorny heart gave life to the seed. 1) But it could not compete with worry & materialism. 2) Not choked to death, but it was choked to the point that it produced no harvest. 3) Are you someone whose spiritual life is being choked out? 3. When thinking about how the majority of seeds sown will not come to harvest… 4. This gives us the answer as to why Jesus didn’t feel crushed when so many people rejected Him & His message. III. It has always been this way. A. Isa. 6:8-13. What was Isaiah’s assignment? 1. God gave him an assignment to proclaim truth to people God knew wouldn’t listen. 2. 6:9-10 3. These verses are repeated in Mt. 13:13-15. It was the same in Jesus’ time. B. Ezek. 2:3-7. Was his assignment similar to Isaiah’s? How was it like Jesus’? 1. Some people will always choose spiritual blindness – and God let’s them have what they want. 2. But…while pursuing that path, they’re being warned of the consequences of sin & the need for God. C. How was Isaiah’s, Ezekiel’s, and Jesus’ mission like ours? Our assignment is to teach & warn. That’s it! D. For years, we’ve operated under the assumption that every person could be converted – if we just worked harder. 1. Not even Jesus could convert everyone in Israel – a nation that believed in the living God. a) Multitudes wanted the benefit of Jesus’ power. b) But few wanted the benefit of Jesus’ teachings. c) In those days, there were hard hearts, rocky hearts, and thorny hearts. There were also good hearts. 2. Today, the same is true. E. John 3:19-21 1. Always been, and will always be evil people who love darkness of evil & hate the light that Jesus brings. 2. People who practice evil hate Jesus’ light. 3. People who practice evil refuse the light, because their evil deeds will be exposed. 4. Only those who practice truth come close to the light. a) They want to see & understand who they are and what they do. IV. So what’s the point? A. What can we learn from Jesus’ example? B. We can scatter the seeds of spiritual truth broadly, *without unrealistic expectations and without taking it personally if many don’t respond.* 1. This is why so many of our “evangelism programs” fail. 2. We get discouraged by the lack of BIG results. C. We plant seeds by learning to talk about spiritual truth in the common language of our culture, at a level appropriate to the person we’re talking to. 1. Talking about spiritual things in ordinary language is a skill you can learn & practice. 2. Tomorrow, your unchurched co-worker asks, “What did you do last night?” You could respond: a) “Not much.” b) I went to church…you should have been there… c) Or…I spent some time with some wonderful people worshipping God. I wish you could have been there. It was great! D. We can recognize that different people’s hearts are resistant in different ways, and we can turn to God to soften hard soil and remove the stones & thorns. V. What is our primary challenge? A. All we need to do is convince people that they need to be baptized. 1. What we need to do is convert people to Christ! 2. If we immerse hard hearted people who do not believe – nothing has been accomplished. 3. If we immerse a shallow hearted person who instead of believing, spiritually wilts and dies – that does not produce salvation. 4. If we immerse a person whose life is so crowded that they have no place for Jesus in their life – that does not produce salvation. B. Our challenge is to encourage REAL faith, REAL trust in God’s work in Jesus’ death & resurrection. 1. Baptism for the remission of sin means nothing w/o REAL faith! 2. Faith in God can turn hard hearts into good hearts… 3. But the person must soften the heart… 4. This is seen in repentance. Do we stress repentance enough? C. For decades, we’ve been focused on baptism w/little attention to encouraging faith. 1. Result: far too many people who have been immersed have little or no faith in Christ Jesus. 2. We made church membership more important than trusting God. 3. In the NT – people who trusted what God did in Jesus’ death & resurrection were baptized. Conclusion: A. Don’t entrust your salvation to the fact of baptism or church membership. B. Everyday of your life, work on your heart. C. Have the faith that lets God rule you. Let your baptism stand on that faith. D. What kind of soil would Jesus call you? E. Look at your heart. Do you need to respond today to the call of the Lord? F. I N V I TA T I O N