Matthew 13.18-23

We have spent two days, examining the parable of the sower itself, and the reason for why Jesus spoke in parables. Now, Jesus gives the interpretation of this parable. The question I want you to think about as you read Jesus' explanation is this: "What kind of soil am I?"

 ¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”


There are four different kinds of soil to that we can possibly be. We got to make sure we are the right kind. So which are we? Which are you? Let's examine each one briefly:


The first is the seed sown, or planted along the path. This seed, or the word of God, the message about Jesus, does not make it very long. The birds, or the evil one, comes and snatches the message away from us. The key to this image is that the path is impenetrable. The seeds just can't grow along the path because it is a path, it has no desire to produce fruit. The same is true of people who have no desire for the word of God, they won't even allow it to try and grow, the evil one comes and snatches away what they rejected. So don't reject the word of God, or you will end up like the seed along the path. 


The second kind of soil is the rocky soil. Look how Jesus describes it:


 ²⁰ The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 


What happens with these kind of people is that they have no root. They have not dug deep and really grabbed a hold of their faith. They just accept it willy nilly and don't take any ownership of their faith. And just the way they haphazardly accepted the faith, when trouble or persecution comes because of that faith, they will abandon it just as fast as they grabbed a hold of it. Have you taken ownership of your faith? Do you have deep roots?


The third soil is filled with weeds. This is what Jesus says about it:


 ²² The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 


The good seeds are always competing against the weeds, or thorns, or the bad seeds. And the key for the good seeds to win out and produce a crop is to not allow the bad seeds to affect the good seeds. Jesus gives three area in which we allow the bad seeds of this world to affect us. 


Life's worries
Life's riches
and
Life's pleasures


Are you a worrier? My Great grandma, my Dad's grandma, literally worried herself to death. He would go out with some friends, and she would sit in the front window crying and crying until he came back that night. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life...but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." When we worry, we are literally saying, "God we don't trust you to take care of us, so we have to take care of ourselves." Worry literally is a trust issue.


What about materialism? Do you just want one more book, movie, flat screen TV, apple product or vacation. Are you looking for just another $200 a month or $1 million a year? Jesus also said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." We are captivated by money and riches in our culture. We want bigger and nicer and newer cars. We want the cabin on the lake that the Smith's have. We want just a little bit more and then we think we will be truly satisfied. Have you ever heard other kinds of people say these same kinds of things? I know I have, they are called addicts. And the addiction and idolatry of money will choke out your faith like a weed. That is why God commands us to give our money so that it will not be a weed that chokes out our faith.


And lastly, are you addicted to the pleasures that this life offers? Sex, drugs, alcohol, thrills, gossip, ESPN, or a hundred other things that are mere attempts to fulfill the pleasure that only following Jesus can fulfill. You understand that all of these pleasures are saying to God that you don't think what he has given you is enough to satisfy your desires. It is a trust issue again. Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life and have it in abundance." Jesus has brought you more pleasure in life than you could ever possibly imagine, and being a kingdom citizen of Jesus is that fulfillment. 


So we can be soil like the path that rejects the seed, we can be soil like the rocky soil which doesn't allow roots to grow, and we can be soil like the weedy soil that allows the things of this world to choke out our faith. The good news is that there is one more kind of soil we can be, the good soil. 


²³ But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”


The way to be good soil is to not do all the other things that the bad soils have done. We need to accept the word of God with a pure and good heart, we need to hold on to the Word for dear, and we need to persevere. 


Mark Moore says it this way: "It's kind of like riding a bull in a rodeo. First you accept the challenge. Then you get a real good grip. And for better or for worse, you hang on 'til ya hear the bell."


This is how to be good soil. And what is the result? God will produce crop a hundred, sixty, or even thirty times what was sown. God will take your availability to allow yourself to be used by him, and multiply it into something way beyond you could ever possibly imagine.