SOWERS, NOT SAVIORS
As we go into our world to reach an unbeliever, we can feel this weight of responsibility that we are supposed to do everything…especially convincing the unbeliever. There is a task the church must fulfill to the best of our ability, there is a work God fulfills, and there is a responsibility solely on the unbeliever to decide. I’ll share today that there’s quite a bit we can do in the mission of reaching and evangelizing the lost. But there’s some spiritual work we can’t do and responsibility that’s not on us. The vital lesson is that we are faithful to do our part and trust the outcome between God and the unbeliever. So here’s what we can do:
Main Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23
Notes:
WE CAN CULTIVATE
We learned how to cultivate hearts last week when we learned to be the salt and light of Christ. We cultivate hearts when we put to work the missional B.L.E.S.S. practices: Begin with prayer…pray for God to soften hearts, we listen with care and build friendship, we eat together, we serve with love, and we share our story and the story of Jesus. Our living testimonies cultivate and soften the hearts of our observers. We cultivate when we demonstrate the power of God through a prayer, and a miracle takes place (Jesus did this often to soften and open hearts). We cultivate hearts when we lovingly and carefully correct and remove the rocks and weeds of bad teachings, beliefs, and assumptions about God or the life of a follower of Christ. Seeing, hearing, and feeling God’s love and truth can soften and cultivate hard hearts
WE CAN PLANT THE WORD
Matthew 13:1-23
V. 1-9 A parable is an illustrative story to communicate or teach a message. The farmer sowed the seed and it landed on four different conditions.
The footpath - hardened, and the seed was taken by birds
The shallow soil - the seeds sprouted quickly but wilted under the hot sun because the roots were not deep.
The Thorny soil - the seeds fell among thorns where they grew, but the tender plants were choked out by the thorns
The Fertile Soil - the broken, open, and cultivated soil that was receptive to the seeds, and they produced a crop, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much.
V. 10-17 Hardened hearts do not want to hear or see
This is one of the more difficult passages in the Bible. Jesus doesn’t want to keep people in the dark on purpose because He is the light and special revelation of God, so people can come into the Kingdom.
This scripture is like a riddle, serving as an illustration for Isaiah, now for Jesus, as an illustration for the disciples to observe. Jesus is bringing clarity and prophetic fulfillment to the prophecy in Isaiah 6, revealing the hardened hearts towards God. No matter what Isaiah said, they wouldn’t respond. Jesus is carrying this into His day, no matter what He says, because of their hardened hearts, they would not believe.
The people addressed will not respond to what they hear. They will not understand what they are hearing, which means that they will have their minds so made up and will be so set in their ways that when they hear the word of God that challenges them to new thinking and new ways of living they simply do not understand it -Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (p. 342). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
(v. 16-17) Meanwhile, the disciples were eager to know what Jesus meant and asked him (Mark 4:10; Luke 8:9). They listened and sought to understand. Jesus also trained and taught His disciples to prepare for their future task of proclaiming the truth post-cross and resurrection.
V. 18-23 The meaning of the Parable:
The seed is the message of God’s kingdom. This is the gospel, overall, the Word of God.
The seed on the footpath represents those who hear the message but don’t understand. The word was never understood and accepted. Therefore, the birds represent the evil one (the devil) who comes and takes away the seed that was planted or sown. Ironically, this is what Jesus meant by verses 10-17.
The seed among rocky soil represents those who hear the message, immediately receive it with joy, but since the roots are not deep, they fall away when problems of life come, or they are persecuted for following Jesus. This is a lack of understanding and discipleship. Jesus warned us we will have trouble, but to take heart because we will overcome this world, just as Jesus has overcome. We’ve fallen for the false premise that following Jesus is smooth sailing all the time, and it’s not.
The seed among thorns represents those who hear God’s Word, but are quickly crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and desire for other things (Mark 4:19).
The seed on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s Word and let His Word transform and grow them. The result of a heart that receives God is a great harvest of many more people who believe and receive Christ!
Not every heart will receive, but open hearts are waiting for us to share the good news!
Don’t get analysis paralysis. Don’t let your analytical mind keep you from simply sharing the good news. We plant without knowing the true condition of people’s hearts. We’ll find out if they're receptive or not after we have planted the good news of Jesus. (Sometimes we don’t find out if it was a stranger we will never see again. Some plant, others water)
The gospel is the power to save, but the heart has to be receptive and let the Word work. We can expect that not all will be open to hear, understand, or accept God's Word. There are times when we have to walk away after attempting, and pray that God breaks through the hard, stony heart.
There is a spiritual battle for influence and territory
Matthew 13:24-30
The enemy is stealing seeds (Matthew 13:19). The enemy is planting his evil kingdom and influence to keep people from God’s kingdom.
Ephesians 2:1-2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
Ephesians 4:18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
Here’s what we can’t do:
WE CAN’T CONVICT, CONVINCE, OR CONVERT THE UNBELIEVER. We can shine, but we can’t make people see and come to the light. We can cast a line, but we can’t make people bite or believe. We can plant seeds of God’s Word, but we can’t make people believe and receive. This is between the unbeliever and the Holy Spirit.
John 16:5-11
“Convict” here is better interpreted as “Convince.” E. A. Blum explains: “to present or expose facts, to convince of the truth.” The Spirit works on the minds of the unsaved to show them the truth of God for what it is.
The Holy Spirit is here to convince the unbeliever of their sin, convince the unbeliever of their need for the righteousness of Christ, and convince them of the coming judgment of the entire world.
The greatest sin of mankind is our failure to believe in Jesus and our rejection of Him. This rejection is due to a failure to admit one’s sinful condition and believe in Jesus to save and transform us. John 3:18,36
The convicting work of the Holy Spirit is gracious because it helps the hearts of unbelievers recognize the truth of their sinful condition and recognize the gift of salvation available to them through faith in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is convicting the hearts of unbelievers before, as we share the gospel, and afterwards!
Acts 2:37-41 On the day of Pentecost, when the promised Holy Spirit came, Peter explained the gospel to a large crowd who gathered in Jerusalem. Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” -That was the Holy Spirit's conviction and convincing...
Acts 7:51-60, Steven explained the gospel. He even said, “You always resist the Holy Spirit.” He was stoned to death.
WE CAN GATHER THE HARVEST
John 4:35-38
What does it mean to bring in the harvest? We invite the unbeliever to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and put their faith in Christ. Then we water baptize and show them how to follow Jesus
WHO DOES WHAT?
CULTIVATE - US WITH GOD’S HELP
PLANT THE WORD - US WITH GOD’S HELP
CONVICT/CONVINCE - HOLY SPIRIT
CONVERT/RESPOND - HOLY SPIRIT & UNBELIEVER
HARVEST - US WITH GOD’S HELP
Discussion
What is one thing from the message that resonated with you?
Which of the four soils (footpath, shallow soil, thorny soil, or fertile soil) do you think best describes the majority of people in your life? Why?
What do you think are some of the “rocks” or “thorns” in people’s lives today that choke out the Word of God?
What does it look like to “cultivate” a heart through the B.L.E.S.S. practices we spoke about last week and today?
Why is it important to recognize that we cannot convict or convert someone ourselves?
Can you share a time when you felt you had done your part, but didn’t see any results? How did you handle that experience spiritually and emotionally?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
What can we pray for regarding the sermon? Do you have any prayer needs?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!
